Week 1 Project
topic: Social Psychology of Self-efficacy
Social Psychology of Self-efficacy
Introduction:
My research topic is the social psychology of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is referred to the belief an individual has in their capacity to execute a plan according to a situation. Self-efficacy has recently emerged as a broad topic based on the issues of human mastery, control, agency, and competence. Self-efficacy has earned a fixed spot in human social psychology as it is highly associated with several favorable consequences especially human physical and emotional health (Maddux, 2012). Albert Bandura first coined the term self-efficacy in 1977 and described it depends on four main sources of influence. These four sources that develop a positive self-efficacy in a person are Mastery Experiences, Vicarious Experiences, Social Persuasion, and Psychological and Emotional states.
- Mastery Experiences:
Mastery Experience or Performance Outcomes is the most influential source of developing self-efficacy. Every time a person takes on a new challenge and succeeds at it, the performance outcome is positive. When a person succeeds at a relatively new and difficult task, it builds a robust belief in his efficacy. Failures, however, achieve the opposite result, especially if the failure happens before a firm self-efficacy sense has been established. Another aspect of this phenomenon is that although a person is not aware of the outcome of the task at hand, he is constantly teaching himself throughout the process that he is capable of acquiring and utilizing new skills. This positive thought process – which one is capable to learn and achieve new things builds self-confidence and inculcates self-efficacy because a major part of achieving anything is believing that you can.
- Vicarious Experiences:
Vicarious experience refers to the phenomenon of having social role models and closely associating with them. Bandura (1977) explained how when a person sees other people who possess the same traits and skill set succeed by continuous effort, it raises his belief in his abilities and instills the courage to make sustained effort to succeed at comparable activities. Vicarious experience refers to closely observing others completing their tasks. By having healthy role models (people with healthy levels of self-efficacy), a person can easily absorb some of those positive traits that help him develop healthy self-efficacy as well. Social role models include a teacher, counselor, older sibling, or ideal.
- Social Persuasion:
Social persuasion is about receiving positive verbal feedback after a person undertakes a complex task. This reaffirmation instills the confidence in the person that he possesses great capabilities and can achieve similar tasks in the future too. Redmond (2010) explained how self-efficacy relies on the encouragement and discouragement an individual received on his performance. For instance, if a person tells an elementary school student that he is capable of achieving great things, and if he sets his mind and heart into something – he will surely succeed at it, then this is an example of positive social persuasion in action (Krause, 2014). Although verbal persuasion works at all ages, the more positive outcome is when it is administered at an early age and helps in building healthy self-efficacy.
- Psychological States:
The personal abilities of a person in particular situations are highly influenced by their emotional, physical, and psychological well-being. For instance, when a person is struggling with depression or anxiety, it becomes difficult for them to have a healthy level of well-being. However, it is not impossible to build healthy self-efficacy while suffering from any emotional, physical, or psychological problems. Nevertheless, it is much more convenient to build healthy self-efficacy if a person does not have either of the above-mentioned issues at hand. Self-efficacy is of particular interest to me because it studies and explains human social behavior in detail and what impacts his self-perception. Positive self-perception and external encouragement lead to the development of healthy self-efficacy, which leads to that person achieving greater things in life. Apart from social psychology, self-efficacy has received increased attention in various disciplines including the educational sector. Self-efficacy research overlaps diverse areas such as phobias, social skills, depression, and addiction, which are a few of the most prominent social issues (Livinƫi, 2021).
References
Maddux, J. E., & Gosselin, J. T. (2012). Self-efficacy. The Guilford Press.
Krause, J. M., & Benavidez, E. A. (2014). Potential influences of exergaming on self-efficacy for physical activity and sport. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 85(4), 15-20.
Livinƫi, R., Gunnesch-Luca, G., & Iliescu, D. (2021). Research self-efficacy: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychologist, 56(3), 215-242.
