Lesson 2

Do Not Just Dream,

Make It Happen
 Albert E. Bandura’s Self-efficacy

The concept of self-efficacy was

introduced by Albert Bandura in an article
entitled “Self-efficacy: Toward a Unifying
Theory of Behavioral Change” published in
Psychological Review in 1977. The article also
became an instant classic in psychology
(Kendra, 2017).
 Albert E. Bandura’s Self-efficacy

Albert E. Bandura

• Born in Mundare, Alberta on December

4, 1925.
• He was the youngest of six children.
• He grew up with parents who put great
emphasis on the value of family, life, and
education.
•
 Albert E. Bandura’s Self-efficacy

He took an introductory psychology course

at the University of British Columbia as a
working student. In three years’ time, he
graduated with The Bolocan Award in
Psychology in 1949.
 Albert E. Bandura’s Self-efficacy

• He earned his master’s degree from the

University of Iowa in 1951 and his PhD in
Clinical Psychology in 1952.

• He had a postdoctoral position at the

Wichita Guidance Center before
accepting a position as a faculty member
at Stanford University in 1953, where he
still works at present.
Self-efficacy Theory
 “Self-efficacy theory is based on the assumption that
psychological procedures serve as a means of creating
and strengthening expectations of personal efficacy.”

-Weibell (2011) a summarized

self-efficacy theory by Albert Bandura
 Self-efficacy Theory

Response-outcome expectancies Expectations of efficacy

Albert E. Bandura’s Self-efficacy

According to Weibell (2011), outcome expectancy is

“a person’s estimate that a given behavior will lead
to certain outcomes.”
Albert E. Bandura’s Self-efficacy

An efficacy expectation is “the conviction that one

can successfully execute the behavior required to
produce the outcomes.”
Albert E. Bandura’s Self-efficacy

Outcome and efficacy expectations are

differentiated because individuals can believe
that a particular course of action will produce
certain outcomes.
Albert E. Bandura’s Self-efficacy

However, if they entertain serious doubts

about whether they can perform the necessary
activities with such information, it does not
influence their behavior.
Increasing a person’s self-efficacy increases
their ability to deal with a potentially averse
situation.
Albert E. Bandura’s Self-efficacy

Self-efficacy typically comes into play when there

is an actual or perceived threat to one’s personal
safety, or one’s ability to deal with potentially
aversive events.
For example, experimental studies
on the treatment of adults with
ophidophobia (fear of snakes) have
demonstrated that raising levels of
self-efficacy is an effective technique
to help them cope with threatening
situations. Perceived self-efficacy
mediates anxiety arousal.
Weibell (2011) stated that Dr. Bandura defined self-efficacy as
“people’s beliefs about their capabilities to produce designated
levels of performance that exercise influence over events that
affect their lives.”
 ” He identified acts of people with “high assurance in their capabilities,” such as:

1. approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered;

2. set challenging goals and maintain strong commitment to them;

3. heighten or sustain efforts in the face of failures or setbacks;

4. attribute failure to insufficient effort or deficient knowledge and skills which are
acquirable; and

5. approach threatening situations with assurance that they can exercise control
over them.
 Edwin A. Lock
• Edwin A. Locke is internationally known for
his research on goal setting.
• Born on January 5, 1938.
• Dean’s Professor (Emeritus) of Leadership
and Motivation at the Robert H. Smith
School of Business at the University of
Maryland, College Park.
• He received his BA from Harvard in 1960
and his PhD in Industrial Psychology from
Cornell University in 1964 (Locke, 2017).