Self-efficacy
Self-efficacy describes a person’s expectation that they can successfully carry out desired actions themselves based on their own skills. A person who believes that they can make a difference and act independently, even in difficult situations, therefore has a high self-efficacy.
One component of self-efficacy is the assumption that a person can exert a targeted influence on things and the world (internal locus of control, see control beliefs), instead of seeing external circumstances, other people, chance, luck and other uncontrollable factors as the cause.
Adulthood brings with it new demands such as professional life and entering into longer-term relationships, including marriage and parenthood. People with self-doubt tend to experience greater stress and are more prone to depression, are less able to motivate themselves and are less able to control negative emotions. The experience of not being able to exert influence in large bureaucracies can also reinforce this tendency.
Studies show that people with a strong belief in their own competence show greater perseverance in coping with tasks, a lower susceptibility to anxiety disorders and depression and more success in education and professional life.
“high performance cycle”
A high self-efficacy leads to high expectations of oneself, which is why people tend to seek out demanding, difficult challenges. A good performance in these challenges then leads to confirmation or an increase in one’s own self-efficacy.
See also: Deliberate practice
Four sources that influence a person’s self-efficacy according to Albert Bandura’s Theory of Motivation:
- Experience of Mastery: ones own sense of achievement
- Vicarious Experience: seeing someone elses achievement
- Verbal Persuasion: encouragement through words
- Emotional Arousal: physiological reactions
Experience of Mastery
Success in overcoming a difficult situation strengthens the belief in one’s own abilities - one also trusts oneself to master such situations in the future - while failures can lead to doubting one’s own competence and avoiding similar situations in the future.
Vicarious Experience
If other people with skills similar to your own master a task, you are more likely to be able to do it yourself. On the other hand, failure by such people is demotivating. The greater the similarity to the person being observed, the stronger the influence of the role model.
Verbal Persuasion
People who are talked into doing well and who are trusted by others to master a certain situation are more likely to make an effort. They believe in themselves more than when others doubt their abilities. At the same time, it is important not to make unrealistic demands on someone.
Emotional Arousal
Our own physiological reactions to a new challenging situation often form the basis of our assessment of the situation and our self-efficacy.
For example, palpitations, sweating, trembling hands, shivering and nausea are often accompanied by emotional reactions such as tension or anxiety. These signs can easily be interpreted as weakness and lead to self-doubt.
Reducing stress reactions can help people to approach challenges in a more relaxed manner and thus master them better.