Self-efficacy beliefs and their role in personal achievement

Self-Efficacy

BELIEVING IN ONESELF

Self-efficacy is a person's perception or belief of, and in, his ability to organize and perform acts towards the attainment of a goal (Bandura, 1994). This belief in himself determines how he thinks, behaves and feels (as qtd in Cherry, 2010). Almost all people know they want to achieve or change but acting on it is not always automatic or easy. The self-efficacy theory proposes that a person's inherent concept of his capabilities strongly shapes how he will proceed in achieving a goal, performing tasks and responding to challenges (Cherry). If his self-efficacy is strong, he will be more confident in his capabilities to behave in a way, which will make him achieve the goal (Bandura). Self-efficacy consists of what a person thinks he can and cannot do to make things happen in his or someone else's life. It does not predict concrete outcomes but declares what he can accomplish, using his skills (Holmes, 2010). Not only does he achieve the goal. He also does better than he thought before. The theory further explains that, because of strong self-efficacy, a person generally attains more than others by viewing obstacles and setbacks as encouraging challenges (Holmes). This belief in one's capability to achieve leads him to put in more and better effort into tasks and persists in these tasks (Beckman et al., 2007). A high level of self-efficacy also allows corrective experiences to reinforce that self-efficacy further (Bandura, 1994).

Belief in one's efficacy or capability can be developed from four main sources. These are a mastery of one's experiences, vicarious experiences of social models, social persuasion, and the reduction of stress reactions, accompanied by a change in negative emotional misinterpretation of one's physical state (Bandura, 1994). The building or strengthening of self-efficacy comes out of perseverance in overcoming obstacles. The person treats obstacles as learning tools, which make him stronger and able to rebound from setbacks quickly. Having social models inspires and convinces a person that he too possesses the qualities for success. But there should be sufficient similarity between the model and the person following the model's standard and success. A person who is verbally persuaded that he possesses the capabilities to achieve is likely to actualize his potentials and success. He will, if he prefers to dwell on the probability of success rather than of his limitations and the risk of failure. And reducing stress reactions and changing negative emotional misinterpretation of physical states will strengthen self-efficacy (Bandura).

Self-Efficacy Beliefs

These are a person's own and subjective judgment of his capabilities to organize and execute specific courses of action needed to accomplish certain objectives (Pajares. 2002). These beliefs develop from the four main sources earlier discussed. They serve as the springboard of motivation, well-being and personal accomplishment. Unless he believes that his actions can produce the results he wants, he will not be inclined to pursue and persevere in the task. Substantial evidence now supports Bandura's argument that self-efficacy beliefs affect every aspect of every person's life. A person thinks productively or not, pessimistically or optimistically, his motivations and discouragement and the major choices he makes in his lifetime according to the level of his self-efficacy. Self-efficacy also determines self-regulation (Pajares).

Self-beliefs of efficacy affect human function through four major psychological processes (Bandura 1994). These are cognitive, motivational, affective and selective processes. Most courses of action begin and are organized at the thought or cognitive level. Thought enables a person to predict events and develop ways of controlling things that affect his life. A person is motivated by the thoughts he generates. Through the belief in what he can do, he anticipates probable outcomes from suitable actions. He sets his own goals and courses of action aimed at achieving those goals. A person who believes he can control threatening or difficult situations does not invite or dwell in disturbing thought patterns. This is the affective process. He avoids anxiety through thought control. He thus develops a stronger sense of self-efficacy and is able to engage in difficult and threatening activities. As the types of activities and environment he chooses opens more choices to him, the selective process operates. He is able to cultivate different competencies, interests and networks, which determine the course of his life. Career choice and development are a typical example. The higher his level of perceived self-efficacy, the wider his range of career options (Bandura).

Self-Efficacy in Personal Life

According to Bandura, every person has a self-system (Cherry, 2010). That self-system consists of his attitudes, abilities and cognitive skills from childhood. It develops as he matures, depending on his experiences and perceptions of these experiences. These elements dictate how he perceives situations and behaves in response to them If he has a strong sense of self-efficacy, he will view problems as tasks to be overcome and mastered. He will be deeply interested in the activities he participates in and form a strong commitment to these activities. He quickly recovers from failures and disappointments (Cherry).

On the other hand, a person with a low or weak perceived self-efficiency will not only avoid these situations, activities and a commitment to these (Cherry, 2010). He also easily gets stressed and depressed (Maciejewski 2000). Results of a longitudinal Americans' Changing Lives study showed that dependent live events of a person reduces or damages his perceived self-efficacy. The study analyzed the responses of 2,858 adult Americans throughout continental United States. It concluded that the self-efficacy of those with prior depression was negatively affected by dependent stressful life events at 40% (Maciejewski).

A sense of personal efficacy chooses certain actions not only to produce certain effects (Bandura, 1994). These actions are performed because they are an inherent part of the person different from those of others. The actions are different because the person is different from other persons through their respective and individual experiences. From infancy, the person is treated distinctively from others. This continues as he grows up and becomes the symbol of his uniqueness and distinction from everybody else (Bandura).

Self-Efficacy in Top Management

The person eventually reaches the top at the organizational ladder and becomes part of management. At that level, he encounters complex knowledge sharing (Endres et al., 2007). That knowledge consists of subjective insights, intuitions, hunches and know-how. Sharing means transferring these information to the organization. The sum of organizational knowledge is a valuable resource and source of capabilities and competencies for innovations and new product development. Organizational knowledge, in turn, consists of these information, technology, know-how, and skills. And individuals in the organization can be motivated to share complex, tacit knowledge through the self-efficacy theory model. Studies found that knowledge sharing subject to the same influences as self-efficacy. These are mastery of experiences, vicarious experience, and persuasion. Self-efficacy theory considers the complexity of the task of knowledge sharing, the person's ability and experiences in performing this task, and support from the organizational environment. The support may come from supervisors or fellow workers as a social network (Endres et al.).

As a top manager, the person possesses three distinct categories of self-efficacy beliefs (Yun, 2007). These are his individual participant's abilities, his team's capabilities, and the organization's capabilities. Team capabilities are not simply the sum of the abilities of the individual members. And organizational capabilities are different from team capabilities. These being distinct from one another, the top manager can build his efficacy beliefs on himself, the team and the organization. Organizational efficacy can then proceed from the top manager's belief in the organization's capabilities to create competitive advantage as well as attain high performance (Yun).

Self-Efficacy in the Work Environment

Employee Empowerment

According to Newstrom and Davis, self-efficacy is the conviction that one can successfully perform a given task and make meaningful contributions (Edralin, 2004). Causes of powerlessness and low self-efficacy in the workplace are job-related, boss-related, and reward system-related. Unclear roles and expectations, lack of opportunity to use discretion at work, and the lack of job variety and depth are job-related factors. A highly authoritarian or task-directing towards capable and willing subordinates is a boss-related factor. And a reward system-related cause is when the wage, incentives and other benefits and rewards fall short of recognizing, rewarding and reinforcing employee competence, commitment and innovativeness. The problem of low self-efficacy level among employees can be solved by empowering them (Edralin).

Newstrom and Davis (as qtd in Edralin, 2004), is the process of identifying and then removing or resolving the conditions, which cause powerlessness. At the same time, it enhances feelings of self-efficacy. Empowerment also allows employees to make decisions at all levels of the organization without need for approval from superiors. Employees should be helped, guided, socially reinforced and emotionally sustained. These are done through training, mentoring, and job coaching to help them prevent job output rejects. They can be guided by identifying fellow employees who can serve as role models. Social reinforcement includes sincere praise, expressions of gratitude, encouragement, concrete feedbacks and other forms of public recognition. And provision of emotional support includes reduction of stress and anxiety. This can be made through counseling, job clarification, job restructuring, an appropriate leadership style to the employee's level of competence, and a mature and genuine concern for his welfare and rights. When appropriately and legitimately empowered, the employee is very likely to turn out a performance satisfactory to the organization (Edralin).

Succeeding at the Workplace

Self-efficacy does not predict specific or concrete outcomes of one's actions or skills (Holmes, 2010). It is a belief or perception of one's own capability and intents. It is confidence in one's ability to coordinate and use his social, physical, mental and behavioral skills and talents in accomplishing a bigger goal than he thought possible before. Obstacles do not daunt him if his sense of self-efficacy is strong. He sees these as temporary and waiting to be overcome (Holmes).

The four factors, which build strong self-efficacy, are successful experience, modeling, positive feedback and physical condition (Holmes, 2010). Accomplishments send the message that one can perform. Repeated handling of difficult situations makes him feel that he can do it again. Observing others who excel in a similar task inspires self-efficacy. It is a strong encouragement that he can excel like those others. When others sincerely compliment one's capability or potential, he feels encouraged into using this potential or testing this capability. And a person who has strong sense of efficacy is calm even when inspired or motivated. In contrast, someone with low self-efficacy will feel nervous or defeated at the thought of a formidable task (Holmes).

Counseling for Career Options

As earlier stated, the stronger the level of self-efficacy, the greater one's career options. Self-efficacy theory and theory-based counseling can help increase one's perceived career options and the probability of success in those options (Betz, 2004). Counselors usually begin intervention by identifying the client's perceived inadequacies, which limit his career options and achievements. The counselor may name local resources, which can provide career opportunities for the client. These may be community colleges or technical schools, adult education programs and particular programmed learning systems. In developing social confidence, he may join assertiveness training, communication and interpersonal skills and public speaking groups with the same need. Vicarious learning, modeling and anxiety management techniques will be most helpful for him and the rest in the group (Betz).

Laughter and Self-Efficacy

Work is not meant to be boring or a drudgery. It can and should be an enjoyable time, even for laughter. A recent study found a place and connection between purposeful

laughter and self-efficacy in the workplace (Beckman et al., 2007). It served the Capabilities Awareness Profile questionnaire to 33 employees of a behavioral health center for 15-minute sessions on 15 consecutive workdays. The questionnaire focused on the value of purposeful laughter in the workplace. Purposeful laughter is described as a realistic, sustainable, and generalizable intervention. It accentuates employee morale, resilience and personal efficacy beliefs (Beckman et al.).

Other researches linked the benefits of laughter with health (Martin, 2001 & Salovey et al., 2000 as qtd in Beckman et al., 2007). Laughter can change one's physiological systems to one that benefits health. It can produce positive emotional states, which also enhance health. Laughter may conjure more effective strategies to cope with stress and decrease it. And it may increase one's social support in the workplace, again contributing to overall health. Employees who do not feel aversion in the workplace are more inclined to construct positive self-efficacy beliefs. Vigorous laughter energizes the mind and body as aerobic exercise does. It raises heart and respiration rates and activates the muscles. It releases tensions. After a hearty laughter, the body experiences a relaxing effect. Employees who engage in purposeful laughter are likely to perceive and experience less anxiety while laughing. They are better led to positive self-efficacy judgments than are those who do not engage in the purposeful laughter episode (Beckman et al.).

The study concluded that a workplace laughter group appeals to a wide range of employees (Beckman et al., 2007). It could be effective with the least investment of time but yield sustain positive results in the form of raised self-beliefs. These self-beliefs of efficacy have already been connected to the formation of positive behaviors in the workplace (Beckman et al.).

Conclusion

Self-efficacy is a person's inherent estimate of his capabilities and the chances of achieving a given goal, based on this estimate. Bandura's self-efficacy theory argues that such inherent estimate strongly determines how the person will go about in achieving the goal, performing tasks in the pursuit and respond to challenges. If his self-efficacy is strong, he will be confident in his capabilities in achieving the goal. He will view obstacles and failures as mere challenges. He will find it easy to bounce back after failing. Belief in one's efficacy develops through four major processes.

Self-efficacy starts developing from infancy and continues throughout life. It grows out of a subjective self-system, which forms from individual experiences and the person's perception of those experiences. He brings this self-system and self-concept into groups he joins in later life when self-efficacy comes into grips with collective efficacy. When he joins the workforce, he learns that a strong self-efficacy contributes to the goals of the workforce and the organization itself. And if he becomes part of top management, he needs the highest level of self-efficacy in transmitting tacit knowledge to the organization. His tasks become much more complex. He must respond by further strengthening his belief in himself for continued optimum performance. #