fei75766_ch18_569-609.indd 571  02/24/20 10:50 AM
Chapter 18     Rotter and Mischel: Cognitive Social Learning Theory571
believes thatcognitive factors, suchasexpectancies, subjective perceptions, values, 
goals, andpersonal standards, playimportant roles inshaping personality. Hiscon-
tributions topersonality theory haveevolved from research ondelay of  gratification, 
toresearch regarding theconsistency orinconsistency ofpersonality, andpresently 
towork withYuichi Shoda onthedevelopment ofacognitive-affective personality 
system.
 Biography of Julian Rotter
Julian B.Rotter, theauthor ofthelocus ofcontrol scale, wasborninBrooklyn on
October 22,1916, thethird andyoungest sonofJewish immigrant parents. Rotter 
(1993) recalled thathefitAdler’s description ofahighly competitive, “fighting” 
youngest child. Although hisparents observed theJewish religion andcustoms, they
werenotveryreligious. Rotter (1993) described hisfamily’s socioeconomic condi -
tionas“comfortably middle class untiltheGreat Depression when myfather lost
hiswholesale stationery business andwebecame partofthemasses ofunemployed 
fortwoyears” (pp.273–274). Thedepression sparked inRotter alifelong concern 
forsocial injustice andtaught himtheimportance ofsituational conditions affecting 
human behavior.
Asanelementary school andhighschool student, hewasanavidreader and
byhisjunior yearhadreadnearly every book offiction inthelocal public library. 
Thatbeing thecase, heturned onedaytothepsychology shelves where hefound 
Adler’s (1927) Understanding Human Nature, Freud’s (1901/1960) Psychopathology 
of Everyday Life, andKarlMenninger’s (1920) The Human Mind. Hewasparticularly 
impressed byAdler andFreud andsoon returned formore (Rotter, 1982, 1993).
When heentered Brooklyn College, hewasalready seriously interested inpsy-
chology, buthechose tomajor inchemistry because itseemed tobeamore employ -
abledegree during thedepression ofthe1930s. Asajunior atBrooklyn College, he
learned thatAdler wasaprofessor ofmedical psychology atLong Island College of
Medicine. Heattended Adler’s medical lectures andseveral ofhisclinical demonstra -
tions. Eventually, hecame topersonally know Adler, whoinvited himtoattend meet -
ingsoftheSociety forIndividual Psychology (Rotter, 1993).
When Rotter graduated from Brooklyn College in1937, hehadmore credits in
psychology thaninchemistry. Hethenentered graduate school inpsychology atthe
University ofIowa, from which hereceived amaster’s degree in1938. Hecompleted 
aninternship inclinical psychology atWorcester State Hospital inMassachusetts, 
where hemethisfuture wife,Clara Barnes. In1941, Rotter received hisPhDinclini-
calpsychology from Indiana University.
Thatsame yearRotter accepted aposition asclinical psychologist atNorwich 
State Hospital inConnecticut, where hisduties included training interns andassis-
tants from theUniversity ofConnecticut andWesleyan University. Attheadvent of
World WarII,hewasdrafted intothearmy andspent more than3years asanarmy 
psychologist.
After thewar,Rotter returned briefly toNorwich, buthesoon tookajobat
Ohio State University, where heattracted anumber ofoutstanding graduate students, 
including Walter Mischel. Formore thanadozen years, Rotter andGeorge Kelly 
(seeChapter 19)reigned asthetwomost dominant members ofthepsychology Final PDF to printer