As we all know, self-efficacy and finding a path in life are important for happiness and success. Many of us go about our lives chasing what we think will lead to happiness and success. But a lot of times, we’re wrong. Some people seem to have natural self-efficacy, or a general ability to find the path in life they want to take, while others struggle. Why does this happen? And what can we do to improve our self-efficacy and take control of our path?
What is self-efficacy?
Self-efficacy is a concept in psychology that refers to a person’s belief in their ability to succeed at specific tasks. For example, if you have high self-efficacy for your job as a grocery store clerk, you might perceive yourself as capable of stocking shelves quickly and efficiently. Someone with low self-efficacy would perceive themselves as less able to perform these tasks efficiently.
The concept was developed by Albert Bandura, and it is an important part of his social cognitive theory, which proposes that people learn behavior through observation and socialization. The theory became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, even though it has been criticized for lacking scientific rigor. In spite of this criticism, the theory continues to be influential in various fields of psychology.
Self-efficacy means having confidence in your ability to achieve a goal when you’re faced with a challenge. It’s the belief that you can carry out the tasks involved in achieving your goals. People with high self-efficacy are more likely to try new things and set challenging life goals for themselves. They also bounce back from failure more quickly than those with low self-efficacy.
So Why Is Self-Efficacy Important?
A lack of self-efficacy can lead you to avoid challenges and new situations, which can ultimately prevent you from reaching your potential. With strong self-efficacy, you’ll be more likely to actually follow through on things like personal development or work projects because you feel confident in your ability to do so.
Your beliefs about your abilities have a significant impact on how you live your life, so learning how to develop self-efficacy is an important step in the pursuit of happiness and success.
For example, if you’re a student and you have high self-efficacy, you will likely put more effort into your studies, persist longer when faced with challenges and achieve higher grades. Those with high self-efficacy are also often more highly motivated because they believe that their efforts can lead to the desired goal or outcome.
In an organizational setting, people who believe in their own capabilities often participate more in group problem solving and take on leadership roles within the workplace. In sports, self-efficacy affects both physical performance and adherence to training programs. People who believe in their abilities are more likely to perform better and remain committed to training for longer periods of time.
The Four Primary Sources of Self-Efficacy
The four primary sources of self-efficacy are performance accomplishments, first-hand experience, verbal persuasion, and psychological state.
- Performance Accomplishments: The power of this source is based on how you perceive your own performance. It can be as simple as crossing a goal off your list or finishing a project for work. These small wins provide an opportunity to celebrate progress and evaluate the steps that led to success. This can build confidence in your ability to achieve future goals.
- First-hand Experience: Watching others succeed at similar tasks can help you develop beliefs about what it takes to accomplish those goals yourself. When you see someone else trying new things, pushing through challenges, and reaching their goals, it builds your confidence that you can do the same!
- Verbal Persuasion: Encouragement from colleagues or friends can provide a powerful boost in self-efficacy. Having someone believe in you can be just the motivation you need to give something new a try or try again after a failure. On the other hand, criticism or negativity from others may reduce self-efficacy and prevent us from taking risks.”
- The fourth source of self-efficacy is psychological states. This includes your emotional states, responses to stress, arousal level, and motivation to engage in a task or activity. This is why it is important to develop our understanding of emotional intelligence, which are the skills and traits that determine how we respond to and express emotions. (More on emotional intelligence in another post).
How Can I Build My Self-efficacy?
Self-efficacy is not a static construct. It is a process that occurs over time and is influenced by past experiences. It is a dynamic process that is always in the making and can be enhanced with practice. Below are some suggestions on how you can continue to improve your self-efficacy and gain more from your life experiences;
- Set challenging but achievable goals for yourself, and break them down into small, manageable steps. This way, you’ll see progress along the way, which helps foster your feelings of confidence throughout the process. You’ll also avoid feeling overwhelmed by looking at the big picture all at once.
- Be kind to yourself. Give yourself credit for what you’ve achieved so far, and acknowledge the effort it took to get there. Being proud of how far you’ve come helps bolster your sense of self-efficacy.
- Remember yourself at your best. Think of times when you performed at your best. In other words, if you’ve done well at something, it will increase your confidence that you can do well again in the future. What did you do to make it successful? Which skill sets did you use?
- Observe how others perform a behavior successfully. Modeling has proven to be a great method for developing new skills and also improving our self-efficacy. I do not mean to copy, but observe and assimilate the behaviors that achieve the desired outcome.
- Guard yourself against unnecessary criticism. Feedback is a gift, but unnecessary criticism from others tends to take away from our ability to maintain a strong mental footing. A goal for any person who wants to improve their self-efficacy should always be to maintain or increase their motivation by maintaining a strong mental and emotional state.
Self Efficacy and Your Path in Life
Self-efficacy can be applied to all aspects of life, from work to education and personal relationships. When applied to an individual’s professional life, self-efficacy creates a positive attitude toward completing tasks and leads to higher levels of job satisfaction. In other words, if you believe that you’re capable at your job, you’ll enjoy what you do more often than not.
The same also applies to your personal quest. Developing your self-efficacy gives you the mental strength needed to navigate through difficult and unexpected stretches of life in which uncertainty and doubt creep in. It gives you the mental and emotional strength necessary to face challenges confidently and adapt to the ever-changing nature of life.
ASQ Takeaway
As we embark on our Soul’s Quest, the perils of the journey could leave us defeated. This feeling of despair and dissolution could leave us feeling doubtful and with low self-esteem. The development of our self-efficacy is what enables us to keep going, push on to discover new aspects of ourselves, and achieve our full potential.
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Sources
- Bandura A. Self-Efficacy in Changing Societies. Cambridge University Press.
- BANDURA, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191-215.