| dc.description.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response to the outdated belief that violent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 | tr |
