Developing a Strong Sense of Efficacy

     "There are 4 major ways of developing a strong sense of efficacy:

     1) The most effective one is through mastery experiences. Successes build a robust belief in one’s efficacy. Failures undermine it. If people have only easy successes they are readily discouraged by failure. Development of a resilient sense of efficacy requires experience in overcoming obstacles through perseverant effort. Resilience is also cultivated by learning how to manage failure so it is informative rather than demoralizing.

     2) The second way of creating and strengthening beliefs of personal efficacy is through social modeling. If people see others like themselves succeed by sustained effort they come to believe that they, too, have the capacity to do so. Competent models also build efficacy by conveying knowledge and skills for managing environmental demands.

     3) Social persuasion is the third way of strengthening people’s beliefs in their efficacy. If people are persuaded that they have what it takes to succeed, they exert more effort than if they harbor self-doubts and dwell on personal deficiencies when problems arise. But effective social persuaders do more than convey faith in people’s capabilities. They arrange things for others in ways that bring success and avoid placing them prematurely in situations where they are likely to fail.

     4) People also rely on their physical & emotional states to judge their capabilities. They read their tension, anxiety, & depression as signs of personal deficiency. In activities that require strength and stamina, they interpret fatigue and pain as indicators of low physical efficacy."

        Bandura A. Swimming against the mainstream: the early years from chilly tributary to transformative mainstream. Behav Res Ther 2004; 42(6): 613-30. 

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Critical Role of Beliefs re One's Own Abilities to Change & Overcome Adversity

     Which is preferable, a mastery- or a helpless-oriented self-regulation strategy? Every parent, health-care professional, and all other educators need to become skilled at fostering an unshakable belief in each individual's ability to help themselves rise above the many & varied adversities that are a natural part of life.
     "Belief in one's efficacy to exercise control is a common pathway through which psychosocial influences affect health functioning. This core belief affects each of the basic processes of personal change - whether people even consider changing their health habits, whether they mobilize the motivation and perseverance needed to succeed should they do so, their ability to recover from setbacks and relapses, and how well they maintain the habit changes they have achieved."             Bandura A. Health promotion by social cognitive means. Health Educ Behav 2004; 31(2): 143-64.
 
     People who assume that fundamental attributes (such as intelligence or personality) are static traits that are relatively fixed & not subject to personal development are said to be "entity theorists." Those who hold that these human attributes are, instead, dynamic qualities that can be cultivated & can be developed & changed incrementally through personal efforts are referred to as "incremental theorists."
     Research shows that belief in one or the other of these theories has a major impact "on immediate self-regulatory responses to setbacks, including a) responding to failure, b) coping with dysphoria, c) overcoming negative stereotypes, & d) managing personal conflict in intimate relationships. 
     If attributes are seen as fixed, then success or failure provides diagnostic information about how much of these fixed attributes one possesses (& will ever possess). Therefore, for entity theorists, failure often signifies that abilities are permanently lacking in some way. Following failure, any self-regulation in which these individuals are engaged is thus likely to focus primarily on suppressing the importance of this failure or on coping as best they can with the negative emotional impact. 
     In contrast, if attributes are seen as malleable, then success or failure provides diagnostic information about the level to which these attributes have thus far developed. Therefore, for incremental theorists, failure may signify that their abilities require improvement through further attention and effort. Following failure, any self-regulation in which these individuals are engaged is thus more likely to focus on determining how to bring about this improvement." 

       Molden DC, Dweck CS. Finding "meaning" in psychology: a lay theories approach to self-regulation, social perception, and social development. Am Psychol 2006; 61(3): 192-203.