Question

Jason has decided to donate his kidney to his brother Matthew so that he can live. How would the psychoanalytic, social learning, and cognitive theorists explain his actions?

Answer 1

1. Psychoanalytic - This famous psychoanalysis explains ID, ego and super ego where ID operates on the pleasure principle and selfish in nature, super ego sets the moral and ideal behaviours that is accepted by the society and finally ego balances both by doing something in an acceptable manner. Jason is at the super ego stage by setting an examplary act that is not forced by anyone but on his own.

2. Social learning theory - This theory suggests that people learn by observing behaviours that are accepted by the society. It gives four stages, attention (observing the behaviour), retention (remembering and internalising the behaviour), reproduction (practising the learned behaviour) and finally motivation (has a reason to do it). Jason is at the last stage of motivation. He has a valid motivation in donating his kidney to his brother.

3. Cognitive - This theory suggests how behaviours are formed by a combining internal factors (biological and affective) and external environment. This is explained in Social Cognitive theory with a five stage process. Observational learning, reproduction, self-efficacy, emotional coping and finally self-regulatory capability. Jason's act comes at the final stage of this theory because he knows it's going to affect his chances of long life but still he does it.

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