Self-Efficacy: What Is It, Why It Matters, and How to Improve It
Life throws all sorts of challenges at us. Often, the blows come at the most unexpected or inopportune times. What do you do when you face these situations? When faced with challenges that are seemingly beyond your capabilities, do you believe in yourself and rise to the occasion? On the other hand, do you throw in the towel before even attempting?
How you approach these types of situations often depends on your level of self-efficacy. Having high or low self-efficacy can significantly impact how you handle difficult situations — especially in Jiu-Jitsu.
What is Self-Efficacy?
Self-efficacy refers to your belief in yourself and your capabilities, specifically how it can help you navigate difficult situations and emerge successfully.
Psychologist Albert Bandura introduced the concept of self-efficacy in a research paper first published in 1977. He noted that self-efficacy, or our belief in our capabilities, impacts how we think, behave, and feel in different types of situations and conditions.
Self-efficacy can also help you focus on your goals. It can influence what goals you choose to work towards, how you try to accomplish them, how well you go about it, and how you measure your performance.
Why Is Self-Efficacy Important?
Having high self-efficacy means having a solid sense of trust or belief in what you can do. This is something that will help you in all stages of life and any kind of difficult situation. More importantly, this is something that can influence the outcome of those situations.
If you have a high level of self-efficacy, you are more likely to face challenges head-on. And in the face of failure or other negativity, having a strong sense of self-efficacy allows you to focus on the silver lining and work towards improving yourself.
Self-efficacy is what gives you the drive to continue moving forward without losing your sense of self or confidence. High self-efficacy helps you develop resilience to adversity and stress, as well as improve your mental health.
Having high self-efficacy may also help you be a better student. The Social Cognitive Theory teaches that self-efficacy is a necessary element for effective learning. This is because self-efficacy affects your motivation to learn, try new things, and perform specific behaviors.
Improving Self-Efficacy Through Martial Arts
The world of martial arts is a prime venue to develop and improve self-efficacy. This is why many martial artists become more resilient, disciplined, confident, and ready to take on the world.
A martial arts setting provides you with the four primary sources of self-efficacy, as taught by Bandura.
- Mastery experiences: Practicing moves until you successfully master them
- Social modeling: You see your peers succeed on a task you are also trying to master
- Social persuasion: Surrounding yourself with positive peers and receiving verbal encouragement to beat self-doubt
- Psychological responses: Exercise helps produce more endorphins to lower stress for a mental state more conducive to improving self-efficacy
Believe in Yourself
You need self-efficacy to take the plunge and enter the Gracie Barra Compnet tournaments. But when you do take that next step, you’ll find that your level of confidence in your abilities increases as the tournament progresses.
As you enter CompNet tournaments, you’ll inevitably face people who will give you a run for your money. When this happens, believe in yourself and your abilities, and stand your ground.
Check out the Tournament Page to find a CompNet near you! The U.S. Nationals CompNet is happening in Sedona, Arizona Saturday, Nov. 6th. Don’t miss out! Use code CNBLOG to get 10% off registration.
Blog Written by Veronica Street - Gracie Barra Blue Belt
Sources:
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-self-efficacy-2795954#the-role-of-self-efficacy
https://positivepsychology.com/3-ways-build-self-efficacy/
https://positivepsychology.com/self-efficacy/
https://www.simplypsychology.org/self-efficacy.html#apply