Self-efficacy Or How You Learn To Trust Yourself: 7 Tips

Only a few weeks ago we lost Albert Bandura (1925-2021), one of the most important social psychologists in history. He taught us how to develop self-efficacy. Bandura knew that in an increasingly volatile world, believing in ourselves is the only way to gain stability and achieve our goals.

This is not an easy task. Self-efficacy is one of the cornerstones of the human personality because it enables us to be who we really want to be. The legacy that Bandura has left us through his vast work conveys the importance of learning to the point of how the beliefs we choose at a given moment affect our wellbeing.

Trusting ourselves, knowing that we are able to achieve certain things, and acting in accordance with our desires, values, and skills enables us to go far in life. Today we are looking at a number of simple strategies that will help achieve this goal.

How you can develop self-efficacy

Self-efficacy means having confidence in your ability to take certain actions and thereby achieve a goal (Bandura, 1977, 1986, 1997). It’s not just about believing you can do it, though, because it’s more than just having confidence.

This dimension is based on the acquisition and application of a range of competencies; an awareness of success in a process that supports our hope for effectiveness. As we can imagine, this is crucial in childhood and adolescence. A study by the Jaume I University in Castellón, as well as other research, reminds us that self-efficacy affects academic performance.

If a student has confidence in their abilities and is relying on them to get good results, they are more likely to get it. Bandura pointed out that developing self-efficacy in childhood is a priority. Because it influences performance later in adulthood. However, it is never too late to make changes accordingly. Put the following tips into practice.

1. If you want to be competent in an area, prepare accordingly

Nobody can be a doctor if he has not studied medicine. It is obvious. If you want to feel competent in a discipline, you need to practice and educate yourself accordingly. This means first of all recognizing the unknown and being open to changes in order to have new perspectives and master domains.

2. The development of self-efficacy is a continuous process

Bandura said that every puzzle is completed piece by piece and in a thoughtful way. This is also the case with self-efficacy. It is an evolutionary process in which the person observes small advances and achieves daily victories. Of course there will also be setbacks, but that’s exactly what learning is about: it’s about integrating mistakes in order to solve them and thus be more competent.

3. Remember the experiences and successes

One key to developing self-efficacy is remembering times when you were successful in certain actions. The hope of resting in view of the past to reconnect with the successful times. This is important, and you can often see this behavior in children.

They often doubt themselves when performing certain tasks. However, as they gain experience from moments of success, they trust themselves more and more until they are completely autonomous.

4. Regulate your emotions and control your thoughts

If you really want to achieve self-efficacy and be competent, you have to handle your emotions properly. Dimensions like fear or insecurity darken your expectations. When you’re afraid of failing or making mistakes, the chances of failure are actually greater. Even if you let yourself be guided by negative thoughts, you will not achieve your goal.

You must therefore learn to regulate your emotions and thoughts. Being self-effective means balancing competencies with the right emotional harmony.

5. Social Modeling: Successful people are your role models!

What do successful people do in your industry? If you dream of mastering a discipline, it is always appropriate to look at those who have already excelled. Social modeling, i.e. learning by observing and imitating experts, is also recommended.

6. Face the challenges to develop self-efficacy

People who have managed to develop self-efficacy and reach the highest levels have faced great challenges. Approaching difficult tasks with awareness and courage is a way to challenge yourself and show that you can achieve more than you think you can.

7. Accept positive and negative feedback

Nobody gets far if they cannot accept advice or leave no room for external feedback. None of us are born experts. You have to learn to accept your mistakes and be guided by people who know more than you do.

However, it’s not only important to learn from mistakes, but also to accept positive reinforcement. A compliment strengthens your self-efficacy and lets you know that you are on the right track.

Work on developing self-efficacy every day to improve your life,  meet your expectations, and develop your skills.