Novice Counselor's blog

Self-efficacy is defined as self-perceived ability to successfully complete or perform a particular task. For example, when someone is presented with a challenge, such as to solve a problem or learn a new skill, a person with high self-efficacy will expect that they will rise to the occasion and successfully complete the task or learn the new skill. Motivation is directly related to self-efficacy in that if someone perceives themselves as able to handle a situation (high self-efficacy), they will be more motivated to work hard at successfully handling the situation. Someone who has low self-efficacy, or the subjective feeling that a particular task is too difficult, will not be very motivated to engage in the task because they foresee failure.

From the social-cognitive perspective, low self-efficacy plays a central role in anxiety and depression (Pervin, et. al., 2005). It is unclear, however, if depression and anxiety are the cause of perceived inefficacy, or if perceived inefficacy cause anxiety and depression.

The behaviorists believe that inefficacy and low motivation are the results of maladaptive responses to situations which are learned through reinforcement by the environment (Pervin, et. al., 2005). Thus, maladaptive coping can be unlearned by positive reinforcement of the desired behavior.

The article “When Self-Efficacy Negatively Relates to Motivation and Performance in a
Learning Context” by Vancouver and Kendall, 2006, provides an interesting view on the subject of self-efficacy and motivation. Self-regulation theories conceptualize much of human behavior as the result of seeking to maintain or achieve goals (Vancouver, 2000). One prominent self-regulation theory, social–cognitive theory (Bandura, 1991), focuses on the role of self-efficacy in various goal processes (Austin & Vancouver, 1996). For instance, Bandura (1997) argued that self-efficacy can impact goal choice (e.g., increasing the probability of choosing a difficult goal), goal or task persistence (e.g., increasing the probability that effort will continue to be applied to a frustrated goal), goal revision (e.g., increasing the probability that a goal will be increased after successful performance in the past), and goal-striving behavior (e.g., increasing the effort applied to accomplishing a goal).

Thus, across these goal processes, social–cognitive theory proposes that higher self-efficacy increases some motivational element (i.e., direction, effort, or persistence). However, during one goal process, planning, Bandura (1997) noted that self-efficacy could negatively influence motivation. For example, Bandura and Locke (2003) stated, “Some self-doubt about one’s performance efficacy provides incentives to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to master the challenges” (p. 96).

Presumably, the absence of self-doubt (i.e., high self-efficacy) leaves individuals feeling sufficiently prepared for a challenge and thus less motivated to prepare than if their self-efficacy had been lower. Moreover, the relative lack of preparation is likely to undermine goal achievement if based on mistaken (e.g., artificially inflated) self-efficacy beliefs. Thus, high self-efficacy does not always mean success in accomplishing goals due to overconfidence.

Self-efficacy and motivation are important issues in counseling. If a client has negative self-views and low expectations in their ability to handle stressful situations, this client will be unmotivated and frustrated not only in therapy to achieve therapeutic change, but also in everyday situations. The Novice Counselor believes that it would be the therapist’s goal to help the client raise their self-view to achieve certain degree of self-efficacy to handle stressful and challenging situations. Motivation would then increase directly with self-efficacy levels, promoting the client’s belief in themselves.

Reference:

Pervin, L., Cervone, D., & Oliver, J. (2005). Theories of personality. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Vancouver, J. B., and Kendall, L. N., (2006); When Self-Efficacy Negatively Relates to Motivation and Performance in a Learning Context; Journal of Applied Psychology; American Psychological Association, Vol. 91, No. 5, 1146–1153.

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