Social psychology theories vary in their assumptions about human behavior. The psychoanalytic paradigm consists of the initially asocial infant who learns to control its impulses and matures into an altruistic, loving adult. Behaviorism, on the other hand, views people as able to be molded into almost any behavioral pattern through reinforcement. Symbolic interactionism views people as acting in response to the inferred meaning behind others' actions.
Behaviorism views the causes of behavior as largely situational but recognizes that internal factors may determine what constitutes a reward. The role theory places the emphasis on roles and situational influences, while internal factors are ignored. Cognitive theory recognizes both internal and situational factors.
In symbolic interactionism theory, social control of egoistic behavior happens by seeing the self through others' eyes, by generalizing others and by using reference groups. Role theory casts social control as people acting in response to the role expectations held by themselves and others. According the psychoanalytic theory, social control happens through the workings of the superego via guilt and repression.