A dynamical systems approach to triadic reciprocal determinism of social cognitive theory

A deterministic dynamical systems approach is proposed to model the interplay among an individual's behavior, personal factors, and environmental challenges, in the framework of triadic reciprocal determinism in social cognitive theory. The equilibria of the system are numerically identified, and their stability analyzed, for seven scenarios corresponding to specific choices of the system parameters. An interpretation of the system dynamics in the neighborhood of the observed equilibria from the point of view of social cognitive theory is proposed. This approach may be beneficial in understanding human adaptation to environmental challenges such as traumatic events and significant daily stressors. Results provide the mathematical groundwork for future research that will involve numerical simulations for tuning the model parameters so as to best fit the experimental data available.