❓ QUIZ ⇒ How Self-Confident Are You?
💡 Improving
Self-Confidence by Building Self-Efficacy
How
self-confident do you feel? Are you full of it, or do you wish you had more of
it?
A good
place to start answering these questions is to look at how effective you believe you are in handling and
performing specific tasks. This is termed 'self-efficacy,' and it plays an
important part in determining your general levels of self-confidence.
Albert
Bandura is one of the leading researchers into self-efficacy. His self-efficacy
theory explains the relationship between the belief in one’s abilities and how
well a person actually performs a task or a range of actions. Bandura says that
'self-efficacy' and 'confidence' are not quite the same thing. Confidence is a
general, not a specific, strength of belief. On the other hand, self-efficacy
is the belief in one's capabilities to achieve something specific.
If people
have high self-efficacy in an area, then they think, feel, and behave in a way
that contributes to and reinforces their success, and improves their personal
satisfaction. They're more likely to view obstacles as challenges to overcome,
so they aren't afraid to face new things. They recover quickly from setbacks,
because they view failure more as a result of external circumstances than
internal weaknesses. In general, believing in your abilities affects your
motivation, your choices, your toughness, and your determination.
Therefore,
self-confidence – by way of self-efficacy – often affects how well you perform,
and how satisfied you are with the choices you make. This is why it's important
to understand your current level of self-efficacy, particularly in the context
of your belief in your ability to perform in a variety of situations.
Does your
self-confidence affect your ability to perform? Take this short quiz and find out.
