Self-Efficacy

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Without confidence in one’s ability, an individual cannot perform to his or her potential.  It is even possible that someone with lesser ability, but with confidence, can outperform this person because belief in oneself can be a powerful influence.  What is this sense of confidence?  Albert Bandura refers to situation-specific self-confidence as “self-efficacy” which is the strength of an individual’s belief that he or she can successfully perform a given activity.  The concept of self-efficacy has often been used interchangeably with the concept of self-esteem which is the process of evaluating the self; however, self-efficacy is more accurately described as a precursor to self-esteem and is mediated by the individual’s self-attributions.

Generally, a model for understanding self-efficacy is to consider an athlete faced with a specific situation.  For instance, a baseball player is in a clinch situation: it is the bottom of the ninth with two outs, the bases are loaded, and a grand slam will win the game.  Under these conditions, the batter will have thoughts about his ability to hit a home run.  These thoughts, or attributions, are based on his appraisal of causality in similar situations. (Click to continue).

"...break down more complex skills into smaller, more specific components that challenge the athlete but are within his or her current ability level."

Low self-esteem has been implicated in most psychological dysfunction; however, low self-esteem is not necessarily the root cause of this dysfunction.  It is believed (Aro, 1994) that individuals with high self-esteem who may be predisposed to psychological disorders are better equipped to cope with those disorders, and thus, reduce the negative consequences that may result.  Therefore, if self-esteem can be enhanced, the psychological consequences of disorders can be reduced.  This process can be illustrated by describing a similar process that occurs with physical illness such as diabetes.  The individual may be genetically predisposed to developing the illness, but if they engage in the proper healthy care-taking activities, they may prevent the development of the illness or, at least, reduce its consequences (Amir et. al., 1990.  The enhancement of self-esteem and self-efficacy can be an important contributing factor to both the prevention of psychological and physical illness and the maintenance of health.

Exercise is in the position of being able to contribute to the prevention of illness or the reduction of its effects through the process of improving self-esteem.  Reviews of the literature (Gauvin & Spence, 1996) illustrate clearly that exercise contributes to improvements in self-esteem.  (Click to Continue)

"Individuals high in self-efficacy, the belief that they can be successful at an activity, and in self-esteem, a perception of positive self-regard, are more likely to engage and adhere to an exercise program..."

Some people may be curious as to why this website is dedicated to the "pursuit of excellence" when I am constantly warning about the dangers of perfectionism.  To address this question we must differentiate between the pursuit of excellence and the need to be perfect.  These concepts are not only different but can be considered antagonistic to one another. In fact these concepts are so opposed to one another that  excellence can best be attained by giving up the demands of perfection. (Click to continue.)

"...Pursuing excellence may require tremendous effort and focus as well as other resources.  But it does not demand a sacrifice of self-esteem as it tends to focus on the process of achievement rather than the outcome."

 Embracing Your Potential
By Terry Orlick

 Thinking Body, Dancing Mind: Taosports for Extraordinary Performance in Athletics, Business, and Life
By Chungliang Al Huang

The manner in which instructors provide feedback to athletes can have significant impact upon an athlete's self-efficacy which in turn affects the ability to learn a skill and the overall performance.  Self-efficacy is the athlete's personal belief that he or she has the capability to learn and perform a specific skill or activity.  The results of an interesting study by Amparo Escarti and Jose Guzman in 1999 indicated that performance feedback which focuses on providing feedback regarding technique rather than evaluating outcome was related to increased self-efficacy, a higher level of performance, and the tendency to choose more difficult tasks.  Other research has shown that a higher level of self-efficacy improves performance.  Thus, research shows us that how a coach provides feedback to athletes is critical in the development of the athlete.

Although we may prefer to believe that learning a motor skill is purely learning a set of physical techniques, we have to consider that most learning typically takes place in the context of an interpersonal relationship with a teacher.  The critical question is how does this interaction affect the development of motor skills.  It appears that the mediating factor between the presentation of the instructions by the teacher and the performance of the skill by the student may be the cognitive process of self-efficacy (Escarti &Guzman, 1999).  Some may argue that the development of effective skills may lead to the increased self-efficacy demonstrated by students of high ability.  Although this process occurs, it is not sufficient for explaining the role of developing self-efficacy and its impact on learning motor skills.  To fully explain the role of self-efficacy, we must evaluate the interpersonal context of how the teacher or coach provides feedback to the athlete, how that feedback affects self-efficacy, and how self-efficacy enhances performance.  Unfortunate-ly, studies directly examining this relationship are sparse, and therefore, the inferences need to be made based on research examining the relation of the different components of the equation such as the feedback/self-efficacy relationship and the self-efficacy/motor skills relationship.  (Click to   continue).

"The question is, what is the process between the type of feedback used and the development of the skill?  Does greater use of intrinsic feedback create a higher level of self-efficacy which in turn enhances the learning of motor skills?"

 

The vast majority of my clients with anxiety disorders are perfectionists.  Additionally, perfectionism is extremely pervasive in our culture generally. However, the typical response when I inquire about perfectionism is, “Oh, no, I’m not a perfectionist. I’m far from perfect.” Such a response indicates a lack of understanding regarding the concept of perfectionism.

Perfectionism is the belief that one must attain perfection or one is a failure. Perfectionism is an extreme distortion of the concept “Do your best” when an individual believes that his or her “best” means, “perfect.” The individual be-comes fearful of making mistakes and may experience stress, anxiety, and depression as a result.  (Click to   continue).

"...you want to experience making mistakes as a positive influence in your life. Making mistakes gives us the opportunity to learn and to grow. As you overcome your fear of making mistakes, you will be able to take risks. The ability to take risks is what allows a person to be successful in a career, in sports, and in personal relationships." 

Self-Esteem: A Proven Program of Cognitive Techniques for Assessing, Improving, and Maintaining Your Self-Esteem
By Matthew McKay, Patrick Fanning

The Self-esteem Companion: Simple Exercises to Help You Challenge Your Inner Critic & Celebrate Your Personal Strengths
By Patrick Fanning, Carole Honeychurch, Catharine Sutker