What is Self-Efficacy? Definition, Examples, and How to Achieve It

What is Self-Efficacy?

Self-efficacy is a person’s belief that they can accomplish hard things. When you sit down to tackle a work project or plan your physical health goals, self-efficacy is that feeling that you can accomplish the tasks you’re laying out for yourself, even if they are difficult. That belief that you can overcome obstacles and achieve your goals is the foundation for many aspects of our mental health and positive sense of self. 

Examples of Self-Efficacy

When self-efficacy is high, you’ll experience behaviors like: 

1. Setting and Achieving Goals: Individuals with high self-efficacy are adept at setting realistic and achievable goals, and they possess the confidence to pursue them with determination.
   1. Example: You make a goal to lose weight, which includes going to the gym every week and eating healthier, along with taking an exercise class on the weekend. Despite the change in your routine and the consistency required for this task, you feel prepared and are excited to begin. 
2. Resilience in the Face of Challenges: People with high self-efficacy demonstrate resilience when confronted with obstacles or setbacks, approaching challenges with a belief in their ability to overcome adversity.
   1. Example: While fixing your car, you realize you bought the wrong tool. The shop is across town, and you don’t have the means to get there anymore. You might get frustrated, but quickly go into a problem-solving mode. You call a friend to bring you to the auto shop, and continue working on your car. 
3. Seeking Opportunities for Growth: Individuals with high self-efficacy actively seek out opportunities to learn and grow, approaching new experiences with a sense of confidence and adaptability.
   1. Example: Your boss asks you to take on a project that’s a bit out of your comfort zone, but in a skill you’ve been wanting to learn. Eager to learn new things and prove yourself, you tackle the project. 
4. Effective Stress Management: Those with high self-efficacy demonstrate the ability to manage stress effectively, relying on their belief in their coping skills and resources to navigate challenging situations.
   1. Example: You work a full-time job and have two kids at home. You feel overwhelmed by stress and are at a breaking point, so you effectively employ stress management skills to create some emotional space for yourself while you work towards a more permanent solution. 
5. Taking Initiative: People with high self-efficacy are proactive and willing to take initiative, demonstrating a sense of agency and motivation in pursuing their aspirations.
   1. Example: Your goal is to buy a house, but you don’t have the finances to do so yet. You create a five-year plan to follow to save up. It’s hard work, but you know the reward will be worth it. 

These are examples of high self-efficacy, but people’s self-efficacy exists on a spectrum. In some areas of our life we may have high self-efficacy and in others very low. For example, someone very adept at work may feel confident about tackling work challenges, but feels completely out of their depth when talking to new people. 

Signs of low self-efficacy include:

• Lack of confidence in abilities
• Avoidance of challenge
• Dependence on external validation
• Negative self-talk
• Difficulty coping with setbacks
• Limited goal setting

Someone with low self-efficacy might find it difficult to start or finish tasks. They may feel like they’re “stuck” in life without the ability to move upward. Often, this feeling can result in a deeply rooted belief that they aren’t good enough and will never achieve good things. 

These are “cognitive distortions”, or thought patterns that are negative and untrue. It is possible to build higher self-efficacy. 

How to Build Self-Efficacy

Building self-efficacy takes time, but it is a great way to grow confidence and mental health while working towards some of your long-held dreams. Follow these steps to build greater self-efficacy for yourself:

• Make a list of goals that align with your values: Aiming to get a promotion is great if you care about your job, but if you don’t, it becomes another task to check off your to-do list. To build self-efficacy, focus on the goals that are personal and important to you. 
• Give yourself achievable deadlines: “Get healthier” is a great goal, but it’s not specific. What does “get healthier” mean to you? Are you exercising, eating better, or seeing a therapist? Get specific about your goals and write down milestones to get you there. 
• Track your victories: Every small win you have, write it down or tell a friend. Celebrate the small wins!
• Get out of your comfort zone: A big part of self-efficacy is resilience, and an easy way to grow resilience is to do hard things. Get out of your comfort zone in small ways, and work your way up to bigger ways. 
• Surround yourself with people you admire: The people you spend the most time with will influence your thoughts and actions. Surround yourself with people who you feel comfortable with and who you admire. 
• Visualize success: What if it worked? What if you did it? Success is always a possibility when you start something new, and science shows that visualizing that success can help you achieve it. Olympic athletes take the time to visualize their peak performance and their victory; it helps them perform better. You can do the same with your goals. 
• Challenge negative self-doubt: We all know how loud that inner critic can get. “You’ll never make it.” or “You’re not good enough.” Challenge these beliefs: “I can do hard things.” or “I am good enough, and I’ll learn the skills I don’t have already.” 
• Talk to a therapist: A therapist can help you build self-efficacy and strike down doubt and negative self-talk. They can help you spot self-defeating patterns in your behaviors and thoughts that are preventing you from reaching your goals. 

Building self-efficacy won’t just improve your mental health. It’ll launch you down a path of greater life satisfaction. Think of all the goals you have yet to chase. What would your life look like if you started achieving them? That is what self-efficacy can help you accomplish. 

If you would like help in building self-efficacy, Lifebulb’s therapists are here to talk. We have over a hundred therapists across the country and no wait times. Browse our list of therapists near you, or contact our team and we’ll find you a therapist who meets your needs. 

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