Self Efficacy Theory Flashcards, test questions and answers

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What is Self Efficacy Theory?

Self-efficacy theory is a psychological concept developed by Albert Bandura that refers to an individual’s belief in their own ability to succeed in particular tasks or situations. Self-efficacy has been identified as playing a major role in motivation, performance and decision making. It is thought that individuals with high self-efficacy are more likely to take on new challenges, persist in the face of frustration, recover quickly from setbacks, and maintain a positive outlook even during difficult times. The primary factor influencing self-efficacy is an individual’s past experience. According to Bandura, if an individual succeeds at completing a task or situation they will gain confidence in their abilities and develop higher levels of self-efficacy. Conversely, if they fail at completing the task or situation they will doubt their abilities and have lower levels of self-efficacy. In addition to experience, other factors such as social persuasion (e.g., encouragement from family members) and physiological states (e.g., fatigue) can influence one’s level of self-efficacy as well. Self-efficacy plays an important role in goal setting, goal attainment, and overall success within many areas including academic achievement, work productivity and health behaviors among others. Individuals with higher levels of self-efficacy tend to set more challenging goals for themselves because they believe that those goals are attainable given the resources available to them; whereas those with low levels may limit their goals due to fear of failure or lack of confidence in their ability achieve them. Additionally research has shown that individuals with high rates of self efficacy are more likely than those with low rates to seek out help when needed rather than give up on tasks when faced with obstacles or difficulty understanding material being presented; this ultimately leads them towards greater success than those who lack this trait. In conclusion Self efficacy theory provides us with insight into why some individuals have greater success reaching goals than others do despite having similar skillsets or abilities; it suggests that we must first believe we can succeed before we actually do so which makes it an invaluable tool for encouraging personal growth whether it be related academics career advancement physical fitness etc.