How to build self-efficacy

Self-efficacy is the confidence that you can accomplish what you set out to do. A conceptual framework proposed by Albert Bandura in 1977¹, self-efficacy has been linked to goal achievement, emotional resilience, and even well-being².

This clearly is a desirable quality, so how do we develop it?

Bandura proposed 4 key factors that affect self-efficacy³:

• Past successes
• Vicarious experiences
• Social persuasion
• Physiological states

We’ll touch on all of these, including avoiding traps that short-circuits its development.

1. Past Successes

This one just makes sense. You do a thing, your confidence that you can do the thing grows. But this only works if that experience is integrated.

Imagine two people who accomplished the same amount of work. Afterward, one of them immediately moves on to the next thing, or opens their phone for some social media. The other takes a few minutes to reflect and appreciate. Which gets the greater benefit to their self-efficacy?

Letting your brain rest allows your experience to consolidate, building your self-efficacy.

2. Vicarious Experiences

When you see an example, it becomes easier to see how you yourself could do it, too. Stories are a powerful vehicle for this. The books you read, the videos you watch can be a tool for increasing your self-efficacy.

This is why having a mentor is so powerful. It’s also why it’s important to notice the attitudes and beliefs of people around you. Try to spend time with people who reflect the kind of person you’d like to be.

Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash

Jim Rohn popularized the expression that you are a reflection of the 5 people you spend the most time with. This is obviously a heuristic, but there’s some truth there. We are undoubtedly affected by the people around us, including our beliefs and self-efficacy.

3. Social Persuasion

Again, take note of the people you choose to spend time with. Encouragement from someone you trust⁴ can build on confidence gained from past performance and vicarious experiences. Having a good mentor, again, can make such a difference!

4. Physiological States

This is actually more about the emotions associated with what you’re trying to do. Let’s take the example of writing a blog (lol). If you experience a lot of stress during the experience, it can get in the way of growing self-efficacy there. But if you find a way to have fun with it, it becomes an experience that builds self-efficacy.

Goals & Conclusion

There’s one more trap to avoid when building self-efficacy that I want to bring up because it’s personally relevant to me: Consistently setting overly ambitious expectations.

Again, imagine two people who have accomplished the same amount. One of them planned way more into their day that they didn’t get to (guilty…). The other had planned less than they actually got done.

Over-stuffing the day makes it feel like you’re running on a treadmill with the speed too high. It’s hard to take note of what you accomplished when you feel constantly behind.

Setting realistic goals, that you can achieve most of the time, takes practice and intentional reflection. But it’s key to developing self-efficacy.

References

1. Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215. ↩

2. American Psychological Association. Self-efficacy and human agency. ↩

3. Pekmezi, D., Jennings, E., & Marcus, B. H. (2009). Evaluating and enhancing self-efficacy for physical activity. ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal, 13(2), 16–21. ↩

4. Cai, J., & Lian, R. (2022). Social support and a sense of purpose: The role of personal growth initiative and academic self-efficacy. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 788841. ↩