Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

438 CHAPTER 10 PersonalityThe most effective way of developinga strong sense of efficacy is throughmastery experiences. Successes build arobust belief in one’s efficacy. Failuresundermine it. A second way is throughsocial modeling. If people see otherslike themselves succeed by sustainedeffort, they come to believe that they,too, have the capacity to do so. Socialpersuasion is a third way of strength -ening people’s beliefs in their efficacy.If people are persuaded that they havewhat it takes to succeed, they exertmore effort than if they harbor selfdoubtsand dwell on personaldeficiencies when problems arise.ALBERT BANDURA (2004b)Self-Efficacy We acquire a strong sense ofself-efficacy by meeting challenges andmastering new skills specific to a particularsituation. By encouraging and helping herson with his schoolwork, this mother is fosteringher son’s sense of self-efficacy inthis domain. Self-efficacy beliefs begin todevelop in early childhood but continueto evolve throughout the lifespan as weencounter new and different challenges.For example, your authors, Don and Sandy, are at opposite ends of the spectrumin their beliefs of self-efficacy when it comes to repairs around the house. Donthinks he can fix anything, whether he really can or not. Sandy likes to describe herselfas “mechanically challenged.” When a light switch broke in our house, it wasobvious that Sandy had very little faith in her ability to fix or replace it: She instantlyhollered for help. As Don investigated the matter, he casually asked Sandy whethershe could replace the light switch.“Me? You must be kidding,” Sandy immediately responded. “It would neveroccur to me to even try to replace a light switch.”Bandura would be quick to point out how Sandy’s weak belief of self-efficacyabout electrical repairs guides her behavior—it would prevent her from evenattempting to fix a light switch on her own. When Don reassured Sandy that thedirections were right on the light-switch package and that it was a very simple task,Sandy still expressed strong self-doubt about her abilities. “I’d probably blow up thehouse or burn it down or black out the whole neighborhood,” she said.Albert Bandura would, no doubt, smile at how readily Sandy’s remark was aneveryday confirmation of his research finding that our beliefs of self-efficacy helpshape our imagination of future consequences (Bandura, 1992; Ozer & Bandura,1990; Sánchez, 2006). In Sandy’s case, her weak belief of self-efficacy contributedto her imagination of dire future consequences should she attempt this task.Bandura’s concept of self-efficacy makes it easier to understand why people oftenfail to perform optimally at certain tasks, even though they possess the necessaryskills. Sandy has made presentations in front of hundreds of people, knows how toslab a geode with a diamond saw, can easily navigate Chicago’s rush-hour traffic,and once single-handedly landed an eight-pound northern pike. In all these situations,she has strong feelings of self-efficacy. But hand her a package containing alight switch and she’s intimidated.Hence, our self-system is very flexible. How we regard ourselves and our abilitiesvaries depending on the situations or tasks we’re facing. In turn, our beliefs influencethe tasks we are willing to try and how persistent we’ll be in the face of obstacles(Bandura, 1996, 2004b).With the light switch, Don insisted on proving to Sandy that she was capableof changing it. “Well, maybe if I watched you install one, I might be willing to tryit,” Sandy finally offered. Sandy’s suggestion illustrates how we acquire newbehaviors and strengthen our beliefs of self-efficacy in particular situationsthrough observational learning and mastery experiences (Bandura, 2001, 2004b).When we perform a task successfully, our sense of self-efficacy becomes stronger.When we fail to deal effectively with a particular task or situation, our sense ofself-efficacy is undermined.From very early in life, children develop feelings of self-efficacy from their experiencesin dealing with different tasks and situations, such as athletic, social, andacademic activities (Bandura & others, 2003). As Bandura (1992) has pointed out,developing self-efficacy begins in childhood, but it continues as a lifelong process.Each stage of the lifespan presents new challenges. And just for the record, Sandy didsuccessfully replace the broken light switch. Now, about that dripping faucet . . .Evaluating the Social CognitivePerspective on PersonalityA key strength of the social cognitive perspective on personality is its grounding inempirical, laboratory research (Bandura, 2004a). The social cognitive perspective isbuilt on research in learning, cognitive psychology, and social psychology, ratherthan on clinical impressions. And, unlike vague psychoanalytic and humanistic concepts,the concepts of social cognitive theory are scientifically testable—that is, theycan be operationally defined and measured. For example, psychologists can studybeliefs of self-efficacy by comparing subjects who are low in self-efficacy in a givensituation with subjects who are high in self-efficacy (e.g., Ozer & Bandura, 1990).