Have you ever been annoyed by a younger brother or sister who is trying to dress like you, talk like you, and even act like you? You may think that they are intentionally doing these things to bug you, but actually they are trying to act like you out of admiration. They are observing everything you do to learn how to be just like you.
We often see this with children watching their parents, siblings, teachers, and the media. Although dressing and talking the same way seems rather innocent, this observational learning can have a negative affect as well. What happens when you start partying and drinking? What kind of affect will that have on your younger sibling?
Observational learning can be defined as acquiring behaviors by watching the actions of others (Social cognitive theory). Many instances involve a role model who displays a distinctive behavior.
For example, let’s look at a parent/child situation. If a parent participates in excessive drinking and risky behavior and fails to hide this behavior from the child they are raising, the child is more likely to participate in the same behavior, as he or she gets older. A parent is a role model for the children they are raising and anything they participate in sets an example, whether it be positive or negative, for the child. Studies show that children who grow up in a house with an alcoholic parent are four times more likely than other children to become alcoholics when they grow up (Facts for families).
Likewise, racism can be explained by observational learning. For instance, my father grew up in a home where his father was against other cultures and the United States becoming a diverse place to live with the increase in immigration. Although my father thinks that he is accepting of others and their views, I can see that he is extremely similar to my grandfather in the way he views other cultures around him. These ideas are passed on generation to generation through observational learning.
It is important to note that if we don’t consciously make an effort to avoid these negative observational learning experiences, then ideas of racism and alcoholism, along with other negative behaviors, will be carried through our generation and generations to come. A greater awareness of how our actions affect people around us, especially young people around us who are impressionable, can help to improve their future tendencies.
Next time you are drinking or going out to party, think of the example you are setting for young people around you. The phrase “do as I say, not as I do” doesn’t really work here because it’s the actions that are being encoded and replicated. In other words, you have to practice what you preach.
References
Facts for families. (Novermber 2002). Retrieved from http://www.aacap.org /cs/root/facts_for_families/children_of_alcoholics
Social cognitive theory. (7 Septemeber 2010). Retrieved from http://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Health%20Communication/Social_cognitive_theory.doc/
