You did not just pick up your habits. You learned them through observation.

In this faith-based mental health conversation, Jodie Shannon, founder of The Heart Helper and counselor in training, explores Social Learning Theory, psychologist Albert Bandura’s research showing that we learn by watching others. We observe behavior, remember it, and then model it, especially when we see it rewarded. Bandura called this observational learning, and he identified four steps: attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation.

What we watch shapes what we do. Who we walk with shapes who we become. Science calls it modeling. Scripture calls it the company you keep.

Jodie aligns the theory with four key scriptures:

• 1 Corinthians 15:33, on why bad company ruins good morals
• Galatians 5:9, on how a little leaven leavens the whole lump, and how one small influence can spread through every area of your life
• Proverbs 13:20, on how walking with the wise makes us wise
• Philippians 4:9, where Paul says to practice what you have learned, heard, and seen in him, showing that modeling can be used on purpose for good

Science did not discover these truths. It confirmed them. As you listen, ask yourself: Who are you watching? Who is watching you? And what patterns are you modeling based on what you have been observing?

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