What knowledge could you gain about an individual’s behavior that might draw you toward or away from that individual?
Why do you feel connected to some individuals and not others? What knowledge could you gain about an individual’s behavior that might draw you toward or away from that individual? An individual’s behavior often is influenced by prior learning, how that learning is processed, and the social context that contributed to the learning. By observing behavior, you can gain insight into how an individual thinks, which likely can help you identify if there is a benefit or a cost to interacting with an individual. These concepts are supported by behaviorism, social learning, and exchange theories. How might understanding these theories help you to identify the reasons for your clients’ behaviours? How might these theories apply to specific populations?
For this discussion, review this week’s resources. Select one of the following theories: social learning theory, exchange theory, or behaviorism theory as the focus of this discussion. Then, select a specific population and think about how the theory you selected might contribute to social work practice with that population.
- Post a brief description of the theory and the population you selected.
- Then explain how that theory might contribute to social work practice with the population you selected.