LEARNED VIOLENCE: BANDURA’S SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY IN EDWARD BOND'S THE CHILDREN

Abstract

This study focuses on Bandura's social learning theory by examining the theme of learned violence in Edward Bond's The Children. Albert Bandura, a significant Canadian-born American psychologist, studied behaviourist questions about individuals and developed what is now known as social learning theory. In response to the outdated belief that violent behaviour is the result of innate aggressive tendencies, he introduced the theory which is concerned with the interaction of the learner's mind and its surroundings. Bandura's theory posits that people learn new behaviour, attitudes, and emotional responses by observing, modelling, and imitating the actions of others in their social environment. Edward Bond, on the other hand, has been one of the most controversial and prolific writers in contemporary British theatre. His twelve-scene short play The Children, which premiered in 2000, is considered as one of his later works. By using young characters in his work, the playwright reflects on the effects of social environment on teenagers. The play is about Joe, a teenager who lives with his abusive mother. When compared to his mother, Joe becomes more violent over time because he burns down a building in which a child dies. Thus, Bond's play demonstrates how violence is learned in parallel with Bandura's theory.