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Albert Bandura on Self-Efficacy: The Science of Confidence and the Belief in One’s Potential

Why do some people exude confidence while others, equally—if not more—talented, struggle to believe in themselves at all? 

One answer is found in a psychological framework pioneered by social cognitive psychologist Albert Bandura: the theory of self-efficacy.

Albert Bandura (1925–2021) was one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century (the fourth “most eminent psychologist of the 20th century” behind B. F. Skinner, Jean Piaget and Sigmund Freud.) His groundbreaking work reshaped how we understand learning, behavior, and self-belief.

He's best known for his theory of social learning, demonstrated in the famous Bobo doll experiment, which revealed that children imitate the behavior of adults, particularly aggression (oh, boy).

This work fundamentally changed how we view observation and modeling in learning and how we understand the role of parenting. 

Bandura's findings highlighted the influence of our caregivers as models, emphasizing that children absorb behaviors, values, and coping strategies directly from those around them.

This shifted the emphasis in parenting from providing instruction to consciously modeling the attitudes and actions they wished, hoped (and probably prayed) to instill.

Yet, his most enduring contribution was his theory of self-efficacy, which illuminated the role of belief in one's ability to influence outcomes. 

This theory drastically shaped education, healthcare and personal development by offering practical solutions for people to overcome lifelong challenges.

Self-efficacy is the belief in one's ability to accomplish tasks and succeed in specific situations.

It's not a vague sense of confidence but a targeted, actionable belief that one's efforts will lead to desired outcomes. As Carol Dweck highlighted in her work with children on mindset, Bandura's work validated how belief is not fixed; it can be cultivated and strengthened through deliberate practice and mindset shifts.

A PERSONAL EXAMPLE:

As a child growing up with undiagnosed panic disorder, academic learning was an almost insurmountable challenge. 

When I knew something was necessary—a test, a skill, or a foundational piece of knowledge—the static white noise in my mind drowned out the input, completely blocking the entire feed.

This overwhelm paralyzed me, forcing others to step in and offer help. I stayed after-school, went to study sessions, saw tutors, but this compounded things. They were trying to solve my problem by using the problem itself as the solution.

This didn’t help me learn anymore than my panic did. I shied away from participating in all manner of activities and tasks, terrified to reveal how little I knew.

It wasn't until my late twenties when I began facing my fears that I discovered that part of me was still terrified.

Through trial and error, I slowly built the skills I had missed. With each success, my confidence and belief in navigating the world grew. What I was doing, without realizing it, was cultivating self-efficacy.

For people struggling with confidence, Bandura's framework offers actionable steps to instill self-belief. 

He identified 4 key sources that shape self-efficacy:

(Free Preview for Non-Members)

1. Mastery Experiences: Success builds success. Each time we complete a challenging task, we reinforce our belief in overcoming obstacles. The scale doesn't matter—even the most (seemingly) minor victory contributes to our sense of capability. (For the anxious, every "small" task feels insurmountable.)

2. Vicarious Experiences: Watching others succeed, particularly people we admire, inspires the belief that we can achieve similar things. Our siblings, friends and role models all provide a blueprint for what’s possible. 

Preview of Remaining Sources:

• Verbal Persuasion: Why certain types of encouragement work better than others

• Physiological States: Transform physical anxiety into performance fuel

Upgrade to learn how to apply the principles of self-efficacy in daily life.

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