Self-Efficacy
What is self-efficacy?
A concept introduced by Albert Bandura (1977, 1997) β the belief ("I can do this") that predicts whether you will attempt an action at all and how long you will persist when it gets hard. Different from self-esteem: self-esteem is the global "I am worthwhile"; self-efficacy is the specific "I can do this".
Four sources
According to Bandura, self-efficacy is built from four sources: 1) Mastery experiences (strongest β past successes), 2) Vicarious experience (seeing someone similar succeed), 3) Verbal persuasion (someone says "you can do it"), 4) Physiological states (interpreting arousal as excitement, not anxiety).
Why does it matter?
High self-efficacy predicts persistence, less test anxiety, faster recovery from illness, more attempts at change (quitting smoking, dieting). Low β withdrawal, procrastination, early giving up.
How is it measured?
GSES (General Self-Efficacy Scale, Schwarzer & Jerusalem 1995) β 10 items, most widely used general measure. NGSE (New General Self-Efficacy Scale, Chen et al. 2001) β 8 items. Domain-specific: academic, health, occupational self-efficacy.