Self-efficacy: the new and improved self-esteem

We went wrong with the self-esteem movement...

A few decades ago we thought it was more important to emphasise how someone feels, and we did it at the expense of focusing on what they do. Feeling good about yourself was prioritised over doing the things that made you feel good about yourself - engagement, mastery, perseverance. Instead of helping people run faster to win a race, we just handed out medals to everyone as they crossed the finish line. Martin Seligman picks the self-esteem movement apart in more detail in his book The Optimistic Child.

Self-esteem is still spoken about, but it is mainly in the sense of self-concept. That might be a better name for it these days. Regardless, I've found a new and improved term - self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is one of these concepts that has always resonated with me, but I didn't know its name until I studied psychology. Self-efficacy refers to people’s beliefs in their ability to influence events that affect their lives. I tend to think of it has having confidence in my capabilities.

Albert Bandura summarises how this sense of control is important in human motivation;

Unless people believe they can produce desired effects by their actions, they have little incentive to undertake activities or to persevere in the face of difficulties. Whatever other factors may serve as guides and motivators, they are rooted in the core belief that one can make a difference by one’s actions.

To me, self-efficacy is evidence-based self-esteem. Having confidence in my capabilities and a belief I can influence events (i.e. evidence) makes me feel good (i.e.have esteem in myself). Sport gave me confidence in my capabilities. I trained hard, which was something in my control, and that's how I won races and built esteem.

Apart from sport, how can you get self-efficacy? You can help to build it in the following ways;

1. Experience 'Mastery'

When you master or control an environment, such as you have a really good training session with rowing, or you put together a really good report at school/work, it builds that belief in yourself and your competencies and capabilities. The task must not be too onerous, with a high risk of failure; but must be challenging enough to set up a feeling of achievement when you complete it.

Take home message: embrace challenges.

2. Be inspired by those around you

Seeing other people succeed with their effort and perseverance can help us to believe that we can do it too.

Take home message: role models are human just like us, and if they can do it, we can do it.

3. Receive encouragement

It's so helpful when influential people in our lives - our parents, teachers, coaches - strengthen our beliefs that we have what it takes to succeed. Pretty simple.

Take home message: surround yourself with positive people.

4. Be aware of yourself

Emotional & physiological states can influence how you judge your self-efficacy. Moods can act as a filter through which we view ourselves. Try to be aware of your state of mind and draw yourself towards positive, helpful emotions to assist you in having confidence in your capabilities.

Take home message: pay attention to your state and the positive things in your life.

5. See yourself there

Before you act on it, you can imagine yourself behaving effectively or successfully in a given situation. This is sports psychology 101 - taking part in mental imagery of winning games/races.

Take home message: it's more likely to happen if you can imagine it happening.

6. And read my post on the Growth Mindset.

Take home message: it's helpful.

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References

Akhtar, Miriam. Self-Efficacy – The Power of “Can”. Retrieved from http://positivepsychology.org.uk/self-efficacy-definition-bandura-meaning/

Bandura, A. (1994). Self‐efficacy. Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology. 1-3: Wiley Online Library.

Bandura, Albert. 1977. Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review 84 (2):191-215. doi: 10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191

Hewitt, John P. (2009). Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology. Oxford University Press. pp. 217–224.

#selfefficacy