ABSTRACT
The present chapter addresses the applications of social cognitive theory to some of the most urgent global problems. These macrosocial applications are rooted in the agentic perspective of social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986, 2001a). To be an agent, is to influence intentionally one's own functioning and life circumstances. In this view, people are producers of their life circumstances, not just products of them. Social cognitive theory rejects the duality of personal agency and social structure. People create social systems and their lives are, in turn, influenced by them. Human self-development, adaptation, and change thus involve a dynamic interplay between personal and social structural influences within the larger societal context.
