Behavioral and Social-Cognitive Approaches to Forming Habits Essay Example

included chips as part of their daily lunches.

I always had a healthy lunch box, but I wished my mom would have included some potato chips. It was actually my peers who influenced me to develop this habit since I didn't have any role models guiding me. Over time, my consumption of chips became more excessive, which can be attributed to the principles of Schema theory. According to Abelson (1981), the schema activated in a specific situation greatly affects a person's expectations, inferences, and actions. In my case, whenever I experienced sadness, happiness, nervousness, frustration, anger or anxiety, I resorted to eating chips.

One of my cherished memories involves being picked up from school by a driver and taken to another spot. At that time, the cost for the ride was merely 75 cents per day. I would always request the driver to make a stop at the store so that I could purchase a bag of chips. Those hot Cheetos were irresistible to me and I absolutely adored them. This memory is in line with the cognitive theory as every day, when the driver collected me, we would quickly visit the store. By the end of each week, I hadn't paid him any money because I had used it all on chips. My mother eventually discovered this and ended up paying the driver on my behalf; however, I faced severe consequences due to my actions.

Despite making multiple attempts to quit eating chips, I never managed to overcome the habit. Chips took on an addictive quality for me. I did try to break free from this habit at one point in

time, but unfortunately, it was not successful. Another instance occurred during a diet when I decided to give up chips, but that also proved unsuccessful. I have made numerous efforts to give up on chips, yet whenever I find myself in the chip aisle, it feels as though they are beckoning me by name. According to Pavlov's theory of classic conditioning or the extinction process, this could be attributed to a personality behavioral mechanism.

The text suggests that my childhood experience of losing my father might have resulted in the development of classical conditioning. It implies that eating chips provided comfort and a sense of connection to him. Another explanation could be the formation of this habit due to the concept of habit hierarchy. These theories provide possible explanations for why I maintained the practice of consuming chips. Research conducted in the 1930s and 1940s questioned the idea that behavior is solely influenced by environmental factors, emphasizing the significance of my social environment and interactions with peers.

Being around children my age made me feel happy, and the desire to eat chips enhanced that positive feeling. However, I am unsure if I want to develop a plan to change this habit, as I enjoy eating chips. If I were to create a plan, it would involve developing self-understanding and finding ways to change my behavior so that instead of relying on potato chips for comfort, I can develop healthier habits. My behavioral trait/habit can be described as having an optimistic explanatory style, which was influenced by my surroundings.

When one develops a specific behavior, life situations can trigger feelings of powerlessness. Hence,

the best approach for me is to intervene cognitively and modify my thoughts to influence my behavior. In essence, after consuming potato chips for 23 years, the most effective course of action is to integrate and adapt my learned behavior. When confronted with a sense of helplessness and struggling to stay determined, altering my mindset becomes crucial.