Theory:
    According to Bandura's Social Learning Theory, development is due to the reciprocal influence of the external or social environment, behavior influenced by prior learning, and the internal characteristics of the person.

Basic Components of the Theory:
    Most learning is due to the imitation of social models.  The focus is on the relationship between social and environmental antecedents and their behavioral consequences.  Reinforcement is a secondary, supportive role in the learning process.

Impact on Adolescent Development:
    According to Skinner's Operant Conditioning Theory, reinforcement can be used to make your child be whatever you want by encouraging the desired behaviors.  However, according to Bandura, the observation of model's behavior and their consequences determines how the child will behave.  Young children are more likely to model their parents, but adolescents also turn to their peers for models.

Positive Effects of Divorce:
    It would be better to have only one strong parent as a model than to have two parents who are constantly fighting.  If the latter is the case, the child will imitate this aggressive behavior and use it as a problem solving tool.

Negative Effects of Divorce:
    In a single parent family, the child will only have one model to observe.  It is important for children to have models of both sexes, and children are more likely to model after the same sex parent.

How to Create a Positive Outcome:
    A positive outcome can be achieved by the father or some other kind of male role model being involved in the child's life.  The parent needs to display the kind of behavior that they would like the child to have so that the child can imitate those behaviors.  Parents should also reinforce the desired behaviors to make them more strongly learned by the child.