Social Cognitive Theory
Name
Institution

Social Cognitive Theory
The author of the article emphasizes that, for one to have the element of humanity in oneself, they have to possess the capacity and the ability allowing them to have adequate control over the quality, as well as nature of their own life. The author goes on to say that the element of humanity has a number of defined core features designed to work through the human consciousness. These are both the phenomenal and the functional consciousness. However, the element of humanness or humanity is sometimes manipulated by the acts of forethought, influence from others, and intentional actions with regard to particular situations. Additionally, it is also manipulated to one’s own capabilities, the goal in one’s life, and the deemed purpose of one’s life among other things. These can be termed as agencies within which humanity is manipulated.
The article is also clear with regard to the definition of an agent. An agent is one who intentionally makes things around themselves happen. An agent, as an individual, comprises of beliefs, culture, talents, endowments, societal structures, as well as functions through which personality is expressed. The author also comes out clearly that personal agencies operate within a network of various identifiable socio – structural influences. In these identified personal agency eventualities or transactions, the individual person sums up as the producer within a social setup or environment, as well as a product within a said social environment or ecosystem.
In this article, the writer has addressed the agentic take on social cognitive theory. The author has also addressed the paradigm shifts that psychology, as a field, has gone through in brief. Albeit the change in the environments and metaphors, the theories of psychology have not factored in the agentic capabilities of humans.

Paradigm Shifts in Psychology
Most of the early theories in psychology were founded on behavior. This was based majorly on an input-output model. The theories were centered on the fact that humans reacted to the input they received from their environments to produce their output behavior. This view propelled the fact that the environment regulated human behavior almost mechanically and automatically.
In today’s psychological theories, the process of prediction of human behavior is more complex. In order for persons to make it through this dynamically ever-changing world, persons have to make sound choices, anticipate probable happenings, as well as factor in all the social constraints and liberties. These help them regulate their behavior. With such information, it is clear that behavior is not entirely a mechanical pull as stated in earlier theories. It comes out clearly that there is consciousness, there is control, there is intention, and there is forethought. This brings about the agentic factors that are core to human psychological behavior: intention, forethought, self-reactiveness, and self-reflectiveness amongst others. Therefore, this means that the above-mentioned are essential for human behavior and progress. This marks the paradigm shift in psychology.
Psychological theories have shifted from the traditional input-output mechanism that was thought of initially to the agentic model where it factors in a lot more. Psychologists now understand that there is consciousness acting at a sublevel that helps in guiding human behavior.
Below is a list of discussion questions
1. Discuss whether the agentic psychology theories are more comprehensive?
2. What are the impacts of agentic psychology theories in modern day investigation?