Final answer:
The social-cognitive perspective posits that interactions between personality traits and environmental influences determine our behaviors, incorporating the idea of reciprocal determinism, where cognition, behavior, and context all interact. Cultural factors and societal norms significantly shape personality and behaviors.
Step-by-step explanation:
The social-cognitive perspective emphasizes that our behaviors are the result of interactions between our personality traits and environmental influences. This approach to understanding personality incorporates the idea of reciprocal determinism, where cognitive processes, behavior, and context interact with and influence each other. Unlike behaviorists who believe environment alone determines behavior, social-cognitive theorists like Albert Bandura assert that thinking and reasoning are crucial components of learning. Furthermore, culture, which includes a society's beliefs, customs, art, and traditions, significantly shapes personality by rewarding or punishing culturally acceptable or nonacceptable behaviors.
It is essential to understand that while genetic factors play a role in who we are, the social-cognitive perspective puts a greater emphasis on how societal norms and the environment contribute to our behavior patterns. This perspective partly contradicts the ideas of B.F. Skinner, who considered the environment solely responsible for behavior, and Sigmund Freud's assertion that personality is largely formed in early childhood. Bandura's idea of reciprocal determinism expands on Skinner's environmental focus by including cognitive aspects in the development of personality.