Selfefficacy

Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in their capacity to execute courses of action required to manage prospective situations. Coined by Albert Bandura in the late 1970s as part of social cognitive theory, it emphasizes perceived capability rather than actual skills alone. It is domain- and task-specific rather than a single global trait, and it influences choices, effort, persistence, and emotional responses.

Key sources of self-efficacy beliefs include mastery experiences (past successes build stronger beliefs in future performance), vicarious experiences (observing others similar to oneself succeed), verbal persuasion (positive encouragement), and physiological and affective states (mood, anxiety, fatigue). Efficacy beliefs shape motivation and performance, with higher self-efficacy linked to greater task engagement and resilience under difficulty.

Measurement typically uses domain-specific scales (for example, academic, health-related, or professional contexts) or general measures like Schwarzer and Jerusalem's General Self-Efficacy Scale. Self-efficacy is distinct from self-esteem, which is a global evaluation of worth, whereas self-efficacy concerns perceived capability to perform specific tasks.

Applications span education, health behavior change, sports, clinical psychology, and organizational settings. Interventions to strengthen self-efficacy include providing mastery experiences, modeling, constructive feedback, setting attainable goals, and strategies to reduce anxiety. Limitations include measurement challenges, cultural variability, and the complexity of causality, as efficacy beliefs can influence and be influenced by outcomes.