Page 22 - Biblical Counseling II

Social-cognitive theorists believe we learn many of our behaviors either through conditioning or by observing
others and modeling our behavior after theirs. (That is the “social” part.) They also emphasize the
importance of mental processes: What we think about our situations affects our
behavior. (That is the “cognitive” part.) Instead of focusing solely on how our environment controls us, social-
cognitive theorists focus on how we and our environment interact: How do we interpret and respond to
external events? How do our minds, our memories, and our expectations influence our behavior patterns?
(Myers, 2009).

Consider three specific ways in which individuals and environments interact:
1. Different people choose different environments.
2. Our personalities shape how we interpret and react to events.
3. Our personalities help create situations to which we react.

Let’s create an example
that would apply to the
next picture. Sara is a
woman who attends your
church. She is married and
has two children. Her
mother died a year ago,
and she has been grieving.
Sara does not want to do
anything she once enjoyed.
She often sleeps and just
sits in her home. Sara’s
family is becoming
concerned about her.
Sara’s brother, Samuel,
seemed to grieve after his
mother’s death and then
return to his
responsibilities at work and
in his home. Sara’s husband has asked if you will meet with him and his wife to help her with her depressed
mood. Look at the chart that explains how biology + psychology + social-cultural influences may all be
contributing to Sara’s depressed mood.

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