Self-Efficacy

In 1977, Albert Bandura introduced the concept of self-efficacy, which is defined as the conviction that one can successfully execute the behavior required to produce a specific outcome. Unlike efficacy, which is the power to produce an effect (i.e., competence), self-efficacy is the belief that one has the power to produce that effect. Self-efficacy plays a central role in the cognitive regulation of motivation, because people regulate the level and the distribution of effort they will expend in accordance with the effects they are expecting from their actions. Self-efficacy is the focal point of Bandura's social-cognitive theory as well as an important component of the health belief model.

Theories and models of human behavior change are used to guide health promotion and disease prevention efforts. Self-efficacy is an important psychosocial concept for epidemiologists to understand because it influences study participants’ behavior, intervention uptake, and potential for long-term program maintenance. Ignoring the role that psychosocial concepts, such as self-efficacy, play in intervention efforts may cause study effects to be misinterpreted and project results to be misattributed. For instance, individuals participating in a smoking cessation program may be given solid smoking cessation strategies, social support, and alternative stress reduction activities, but if they do not believe that they can stop smoking—that is, if they lack self-efficacy—the program will be less successful. On the other hand, if a smoking cessation expert recognizes that overcoming an individual's lack of self-efficacy to stop smoking is critical to his or her quitting, the program could readily be designed with this factor in mind, and the program evaluation could determine the success of raising self-efficacy. Understanding self-efficacy can shed light on the determinants of health and disease distributions.