Self-efficacy

In a number of studies, Bandura showed that another reason for behavioral disorders may be a lack of faith in the effectiveness of their own actions. This discovery by Pandora is often called the “theory of self-efficacy”. Self-efficacy, or belief in efficiency, means convincing a person that in a difficult situation he will be able to demonstrate successful behavior. That is, belief in effectiveness means evaluating one's very specifically designated behavioral competency.

According to Bandura, an essential characteristic of many mental illnesses is a lack of confidence in one's own behavioral abilities, as well as the abilities of experience . Many diseases are accompanied by underestimation or incorrect assessment of their own abilities and behavioral skills.

Whether a particular person can achieve success in a given situation depends not only on his own competence, but also on a number of other factors. However, for mental health and well-being it is important not so much the objective results in themselves, as their interpretation by a specific person and expectations of success, positive results of their own actions.

Bandura hypothesized that self-efficacy that is cognitive in nature (that is, expectations regarding one's own effectiveness) affects motor behavior, for example, whether a stressful situation will stimulate attempts to master it, how intense it will be and how long it will last. The same self-efficacy can affect the characteristics of the environment - the consequences of behavior.

If, for example, someone does not believe in his attractiveness for the opposite sex and his self-efficacy in the field of dating is low, then he will come to the party in a bad mood, spoil the mood of the people around him with his frown and his attempt to get to know someone will almost certainly fail. The negative consequences of an attempt to meet will be perceived in detail, which will further reduce self-efficacy.

If self-efficacy is high, then a person will go to a party in a good mood, waiting for a fun pastime, an attempt to meet will receive a positive development, which in turn will strengthen self-efficacy in the field of dating and facilitate subsequent acquaintances.

In his concept of expectations, Bandura distinguishes between effectiveness expectation and outcome expectation.

He defines the expectation of results as a person’s assessment that a certain behavior will lead to certain results. Waiting for effectiveness means evaluating the degree to which he is able to behave as necessary in order to get some result. The difference is that the individual may believe that some reaction may or will probably lead to the desired result (expectation of results), but not to believe that he himself is able to commit this behavior.

The effect of self-efficacy on behavior depends on its degree, generalization and strength. This influence is diverse: self-efficacy affects the search or avoidance of certain types of situations; selection of behavioral alternatives; type, frequency and duration of attempts to master a difficult situation; attribution of success and failure. Although, of course, one cannot underestimate the inverse effect on the self-efficacy of the results of actions, models that are accessible to observation, etc.

Four factors influence the formation of self-efficacy:

1. The presence of a more or less wide repertoire of behavior skills.
2. Experience gained through observing other people (physical or symbolic following the model).
3. The beliefs expressed by others are verbal reinforcement or punishment.
4. Physical, psychological, emotional state (a person always in one way or another evaluates his emotional state: fear, calm, agitation in conflict situations - and this affects the assessment of his own behavioral abilities).

Bandura understands self-efficacy not as a stable and static characteristic, but as a variable, which in its strength, generalization and degree is in reciprocal (mutual) dependence on the current situation and the previous history of the individual's development.

The influence of the consequences of behavior on self-efficacy substantially depends on how a person perceives and evaluates these consequences. If in the past the experience of behavior in a certain circle of situations (for example, requiring the ability to say “no”) was mostly negative, then self-efficacy in this area will be low, attention will be focused on the negative consequences of failure, these consequences will be interpreted individually, which in turn will reduce self-efficacy in future.

Bandura’s theory is sufficiently substantiated not only theoretically, but also experimentally. In a number of studies, the following hypotheses have been confirmed:

1. Expectations of effectiveness correlate at a high level of significance with real behavior. In other words, a person predominantly demonstrates the behavior that he expects of himself, and sees exactly the consequences that he expects. Expecting to receive a refusal in response to the request, he constructs the request itself in such a way that it naturally leads to the refusal, and it is the refusal that is in the center of his attention.
2. By assessing expectations and the level of self-efficacy, one can accurately predict the actual behavior.

After listening to the client and carefully analyzing his words, we can already guess how he will behave in a particular situation. Changing his expectations, focusing on the unusual aspects of his own behavior and the surrounding reality, we also change his behavior.

Bandura conducted his research in the clinic, treating patients with classic phobias - fear of snakes, spiders, heights. However, many followers of Pandora around the world have convincingly proved that Pandora's ideas that cognitive factors, and above all self-efficacy, can significantly control behavior, can easily be transferred from the field of clinical therapy - the treatment of classical phobias - to the field of regulation social behavior. Lack of self-efficacy can be a significant brake on the formation of social competence and the formation of human activity. Under certain circumstances, a lack of self-efficacy causes neurotic disorders.

To measure self-efficacy with the participation of Bandura, a general self-efficacy test was developed, which currently exists in more than 20 national versions, including the Russian one. This test can be used in practical and scientific work, including for intercultural studies and comparisons.

• Bandura A. Theory of Social Learning. - SPb. : Eurasia, 2000 .-- 320 p. - ISBN 5-8071-0040-9 .
• Myers D. Self-efficacy // Social Psychology. - SPb. : Peter , 2011 .-- S. 68-69. - ISBN 978-5-4237-0138-3 .