Self-Efficacy

Sources of Self-Efficacy

Of the four ways of developing a strong sense of efficacy, the most effective is through mastery of experiences. Successes build a robust belief in one's efficacy. Failures undermine it. If people have only easy successes, they are easily discouraged by failure. Development of a resilient sense of efficacy requires experience in overcoming obstacles through perseverant effort. Resilience is also built by training in how to manage failure so it is informative rather than demoralizing.

The second way of developing personal efficacy is by social modeling. Competent models convey knowledge, skills, and strategies for managing task demands. By their example in pursuing challenges, models foster aspirations and interest in activities. Seeing people similar to themselves succeed by perseverant effort raises observers' beliefs in their own capabilities.

Social persuasion is the third way of strengthening people's beliefs in their efficacy. If people are persuaded that they have what it takes to succeed, they exert more effort than if they harbor self-doubts and dwell on personal deficiencies when problems arise. But effective enablers do more than convey faith in people's capabilities. They arrange conditions for others in ways that bring success and avoid placing them prematurely in situations where they are likely to fail.

People also rely on their physical and emotional states to judge their capabilities. They read their tension, anxiety, and depression as signs of personal deficiency. In activities that require strength and stamina, they interpret fatigue and pain as indictors of low physical efficacy. Efficacy beliefs are strengthened by reducing anxiety and depression, building physical strength and stamina, and changing faulty interpretations of one's physical states.

Diverse Effects of Self-Efficacy

Beliefs of personal efficacy regulate human functioning through four processes: cognitive, motivational, emotional, and decisional. People with high perceived self-efficacy approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered rather than threats to be avoided. They set high goals and sustain strong commitments to them. They expect their efforts to produce favorable results. They view obstacles as surmountable and figure out ways to overcome them. They attribute their failures to correctable factors such as lack of knowledge or skill, or insufficient effort. They redouble their effort in the face of obstacles and soon recover their self-assurance after setbacks. They view threats and adversities as less inimical and act in ways that reduce their aversiveness or change them for the better. This efficacious outlook promotes cognitive resourcefulness, sustains motivation, and lowers vulnerability to stress and depression.

People with a low sense of efficacy, by contrast, think pessimistically and avoid difficult tasks, which they view as threats. They have low aspirations and weak commitment to their goals. They turn inward on their self-doubts instead of thinking about how to perform successfully. When faced with difficult tasks, they visualize failure scenarios that undermine performance. They dwell on obstacles, the consequences of failure, and their personal deficiencies. Failure makes them lose faith in themselves because they take it as evidence of their inherent deficiencies. They slacken their efforts or give up in the face of difficulty, recover [Page 1398]slowly from setbacks, and easily fall victim to stress and depression.

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