Since Bandura published his
seminal 1977 paper, "Self-Efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral
Change," the subject has become one of the most studied topics in
psychology. Why has self-efficacy become such an important topic among
psychologists and educators? As Bandura and other researchers have
demonstrated, self-efficacy can have an impact on everything from psychological
states to behavior to motivation.
The Role of Self-Efficacy
Virtually all people can identify
goals they want to accomplish, things they would like to change, and things
they would like to achieve. However, most people also realize that putting
these plans into action is not quite so simple. Bandura and others have found
that an individual’s self-efficacy plays a major role in how goals, tasks, and
challenges are approached.
People with a strong sense of
self-efficacy:
View challenging problems as tasks to be
mastered
Develop deeper interest in the activities
in which they participate
Form a stronger sense of commitment to
their interests and activities
Recover quickly from setbacks and
disappointments
People with a weak sense of
self-efficacy:
Avoid challenging tasks
Believe that difficult tasks and situations
are beyond their capabilities
Focus on personal failings and negative
outcomes
Quickly lose confidence in personal
abilities
Sources of Self-Efficacy
How does self-efficacy develop?
These beliefs begin to form in early childhood as children deal with a wide
variety of experiences, tasks, and situations. However, the growth of
self-efficacy does not end during youth, but continues to evolve throughout
life as people acquire new skills, experiences, and understanding.
According to Bandura, there are
four major sources of self-efficacy.
1. Mastery Experiences
"The most effective way of
developing a strong sense of efficacy is through mastery experiences,"
Bandura explained. Performing a task successfully strengthens our sense of
self-efficacy. However, failing to adequately deal with a task or challenge can
undermine and weaken self-efficacy.
2. Social Modeling
Witnessing other people
successfully completing a task is another important source of self-efficacy.
According to Bandura, "Seeing people similar to oneself succeed by
sustained effort raises observers' beliefs that they too possess the
capabilities master comparable activities to succeed."
3. Social Persuasion
Bandura also asserted that people
could be persuaded to believe that they have the skills and capabilities to
succeed. Consider a time when someone said something positive and encouraging
that helped you achieve a goal. Getting verbal encouragement from others helps
people overcome self-doubt and instead focus on giving their best effort to the
task at hand.
4. Psychological Responses
Our own responses and emotional
reactions to situations also play an important role in self-efficacy. Moods,
emotional states, physical reactions, and stress levels can all impact how a
person feels about their personal abilities in a particular situation. A person
who becomes extremely nervous before speaking in public may develop a weak
sense of self-efficacy in these situations.
However, Bandura also notes
"it is not the sheer intensity of emotional and physical reactions that is
important but rather how they are perceived and interpreted." By learning
how to minimize stress and elevate mood when facing difficult or challenging
tasks, people can improve their sense of self-efficacy.
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