The social‐cognitive clinician: On the implications of social cognitive theory for psychotherapy and assessment

Abstract

We review Bandura's contributions to cognitive‐behavioural theory, research and practice. His basic research on the causal role of cognitive processes in social learning was a major factor in the emergence of cognitive‐behavioural therapies in the 1970s. His investigations on observational learning and self‐efficacy beliefs led to the development of guided mastery therapy, a specific cognitive‐behavioural intervention for anxiety disorders. His research on self‐regulatory processes provided an empirical basis for the emergence of numerous therapies targeting self‐regulation. We conclude by discussing how Bandura's social cognitive theory, as well as more recent advances in social cognitive theorising, might be further applied to innovative approaches to therapeutic interventions, assessment and clinical case conceptualization.