Psychology
Self-efficacy is a key element that brings about self motivation and confidence to perform efficiently. It is that perception of an individual and the confidence he/she posses in the ability to perform a recommended tasks or response. The self-efficacy concept is within the social cognitive theory that shows the human learning and observation process of social experience in attaining self development.
The social cognitive theory attempts to give an explanation on how the thoughts, feeling, and behavior of individuals could be swayed through specific factors, predictable, or indirect presence of others. Thus, according to Bandura (1989), the trust of the theory has the definition of human behavior. This is seen shown as triadic, dynamic, and reciprocal interrelationship of individuals’ elements; including behavior, and the environment. While the social cognitive theory support those behaviorist belief that react consequently to intervene in behavioral patterns. This constitute of how behavior is widely adjusted by
cognitive processes. In others words, Bandura’s social cognitive theory emphasizes that people are motivated by external forces, from what they learn from others in the society. The environmental factors influence an individual behavior and this goes a long way to affect how he performs in a given task. This goes beyond the concept of self-efficacy; where the determinant factor that influences the individual are those information that are gotten from experience.
Thus, when an individual knows his area of strength, weakness and what constitute threats to his personal ability, he would be prepared to develop those weak areas and be confidence to perform efficiently in those areas where his strength lies in. “High self-percepts of efficacy may affect preparatory and performance effort differently, in that some self-doubts bestirs learning but hinders adept execution of acquired capabilities” (Bandura, 1982, p. 123). In this situation, an individual who is too fully conscious of his ability and over confidence may renege from going the extra mile to practice and build on that strength. For instance, a sportsman who runs 100 meters race in 35 seconds, and happen to be the best. He may be tempted to underrate fellow runners who seem to run the same distance for 55 seconds. And when he is positioned to compete with them, he may decide not to go the extra miles to practice. He may be full of himself, because of the awareness of his strength and performance is very high. This seems to be a negative aspect of too much confidence in self-efficiency.
Performing a task gives the individual feedback of his mastery ability. From experience the individual tends to know how to adjust and increase efficacy. Thus, According to Themanson, Pontifex, Hillman & McAuley (2011) “flexibility of self-efficiency and its sensitivity to work experience is important to consider potential ongoing adjustments to both self- efficacy and task performance” (p.1). Information available to an individual about his performance level in a given task is modified from his ‘apriori’ beliefs on what he can achieve. This balancing is done with the aid of experience. For instance, if an individual initially believed he cannot lift a 50kg bag of sand, but when he was encouraged to give it a try, and he successfully lifted it. His new found experience would adjust his initial (apriori) belief that he cannot perform such task. Hence, during next attempt he would have build up the confidence that he can. This is where the significance of information derived from experience aid in balancing our ability to perform.
Incentive and rewards also play a great role in concept of self-efficacy. According to Bandura (1986), when individuals have strong sense of efficacy lack of incentive could prevent them and obstruct positive attitude to performance. What this simply means is that an individual maybe aware that he can adequately perform a given task, but because of lack of motivation he may be putting in a lackluster attitude in executing the task. Thus, external motivation is germane in self-efficacy.
Self-efficacy is a means of building ones self confidence in executing a task. It comes from experience and the information available to that individual that he can perform. However, the external motivation sometimes is required to push that individual, even when he is aware that he could perform the task.
Reference List:
Bandura, Albert. (1982). Self-Efficiency Mechanism in Human Agency. American Psychologist, 37, 2.
Bandura, Albert. (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Banduras, A. (1989). Social Cognitive Theory Annuals of Child Development, 6, 1-60
Themanson, J.R., Pontifex, M. B., Hillman, C. H. & McAuley, E. (2011). The Relation of Self-Efficacy and Error-Related Self-Regulation. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 1, 10.
