The Importance of Self-Efficacy Summed Up in Two Quotes
Self-efficacy is the mindset of how one controls their destiny. Psychologist Albert Bandura in his preeminent book on the topic defines self-efficacy as the exercise of control over things that affect one’s life. Unfortunately, the subject of self-efficacy is not popular. You rarely here parents and coaches talk about it. However, self-efficacy is absolutely critical to the process of reaching your potential.
Unquestionably, the ability to reach your potential depends heavily on your ability to make things happen instead of letting things happen. But you can’t make things happen if you let the social structures within your environment constrain your opportunities. As a result, self-efficacy is arguably the most critical character trait you need to reach your potential.
With this in mind, Albert Bandura makes this point crystal clear. First, he makes the point that the social structures in our environment both enable and constrain our potential. He states:
Social structures…are devised to organize, guide, and regulate human affairs in given domains by authorized rules and sanctions…
Social structures…impose constraints and provide resources for personal development and everyday functioning.
Think about your community:
- Schools and after school programs,
- Colleges and universities,
- Religious institutions,
- Community centers, clubs, and organizations,
- Law enforcement and government procedures,
- Health care systems,
- Home quality and values,
- Supply and demand markets,
- Property and sales tax structures,
- Sports, arts, and entertainment, etc.
These are the social structures and institutions in your environment that either constrain you or provide you with opportunities.
You Need Self-Efficacy to Reach Your Potential Because You Must Make Your Environment Work for You
Think about how your environment is better or worse than other communities because of the social structures and institutions. Now think about what constraints and resources these social structures and institutions enable. How do the answers to these questions help or hurt your pursuit of reaching your potential?
Next, Bandura puts the constraints you face and the resources you have in the context of your self-efficacy. He states:
Efficacious people are quick to take advantage of opportunity structures and figure out ways to circumvent institutional constraints or change them by collective action. Conversely, inefficacious people are less apt to exploit the enabling opportunities provided by the social systems and are easily discouraged by institutional impediments.
Simply stated, people who have self-efficacy make things happen. People who don’t have self-efficacy let things happen. Therefore, people who have self-efficacy have a strong ability to reach their potential and people who don’t have self-efficacy have a weak ability to reach their potential.
I am not writing this to reveal some mind blowing secret. In fact, one could argue that this is obvious. However, what’s not obvious is how a lack of self-awareness leads to a lack of self-efficacy. This is what you should takeaway.
- How aware are you of your ability to exercise control of your environment?
- How aware are you of your children’s ability to exercise control of their environment?
The next time you or your children get stuck in pursuit of a goal, self-efficacy is a good starting point for getting unstuck. Exercising control of your environment is a skill, and you must have this skill if you want to achieve your goals and reach your potential.