Newsletter - Winter 2008 - ALBERT BANDURA AND SELF-EFFICACY

Albert Bandura, Ph.D. is regarded as one of the most eminent psychologists of our time. Bandura started his career in 1953 and still maintains an active schedule of teaching and research at Stan­ford University. On the occasion of his 80th birthday, he wrote:

 

One of Bandura’s greatest contributions to the field of psychology has been his study of self-efficacy, “people’s beliefs about their capa­bilities to produce designated levels of per­formance that exercise influence over events that affect their lives.” In fact, Bandura’s research demonstrated that self-efficacy is the most powerful determinant of an individual’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and accomplish­ments.

 

For example, Bandura found that people with a strong sense of their capabilities 1) view dif­ficult tasks as challenges to be mastered; 2) develop a deep interest in their activities; 3) set challenging goals and maintain a strong commitment to them, and 4) recover quickly from setbacks and disappointments.

 

In contrast, individuals with a weak sense of self-efficacy 1) view difficult tasks as threats to be avoided; 2) quickly lose confidence and dwell on personal deficiencies and other ob­stacles to achieving desired results; 3) have low aspirations and weak commit­ment to goals, and 4) are slow to recover from setbacks and disappointments.

 

Because Banuras research has proven that self-efficacy is a key ingredient to personal success and well-being, it is extremely important to understand how self-efficacy is developed. According to Bandura, there are four major sources of self-efficacy:

 

The most effective way of creating a strong sense of efficacy is through performing a task successfully. Bandura wrote, “Successes build a robust belief in one’s personal efficacy.”

 

Witnessing other people successfully completing a task is another important source of self-efficacy. According to Bandura, “Through their behavior and expressed ways of thinking, competent models trans­mit knowledge and teach observers effective skills and strategies for managing environmental demands.”

 

Bandura also asserted that people can be persuaded to believe that they have the skills and capabilities to succeed. Hearing and accepting verbal encouragement from others helps individuals overcome self-doubt and to focus instead on giving their best effort to overcom­ing challenges and achieving their goals.

 

Moods, emotional states, physical reactions, and stress levels can all impact how a person feels about their personal abilities in a particular situation. By learning how to minimize stress and elevate mood when facing difficult or challenging tasks, people can improve their sense of self-efficacy.