


Reciprocal Determinism - This is the central concept of SCT.The first five constructs were developed as part of the SLT the construct of self-efficacy was added when the theory evolved into SCT. The goal of SCT is to explain how people regulate their behavior through control and reinforcement to achieve goal-directed behavior that can be maintained over time. This is unfortunate as maintenance of behavior, and not just initiation of behavior, is the true goal in public health. Many theories of behavior used in health promotion do not consider maintenance of behavior, but rather focus on initiating behavior. These past experiences influences reinforcements, expectations, and expectancies, all of which shape whether a person will engage in a specific behavior and the reasons why a person engages in that behavior. The theory takes into account a person's past experiences, which factor into whether behavioral action will occur. SCT considers the unique way in which individuals acquire and maintain behavior, while also considering the social environment in which individuals perform the behavior. The unique feature of SCT is the emphasis on social influence and its emphasis on external and internal social reinforcement. It developed into the SCT in 1986 and posits that learning occurs in a social context with a dynamic and reciprocal interaction of the person, environment, and behavior.

Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) started as the Social Learning Theory (SLT) in the 1960s by Albert Bandura.
