V. Self-Efficacy & Self-Control He defined self-control as the conscious and deliberate effort to control:
Week 5 1. thoughts - like getting rid of doubts about ourselves or our ability to
My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person; he believed in me.
- Jim Valvano (American basketball player and coach) succeed.
2. feelings - like not hastily reacting in anger in traffic.
Self-Efficacy 3. impulses - like not eating the rest of that chocolate cake; and
Self-efficacy is its name, and this name was coined by the psychologist Albert
Bandura who first studied it. 4. performance - like hitting the right notes on the piano or going for a record
Self-efficacy is easy to confuse with self-esteem on that video game we love.
Self-esteem has to do with how favorably we view ourselves, self-efficacy has a
more particular focus and is defined as "your belief in your ability to do what it The classic experiment that demonstrated the importance of self-control is what
takes to reach a specific goal." has been called the "Marshmallow experiment"
Self-efficacy doesn't have to do with your actual ability to do something, only your This experiment was first conducted at Stanford University in the 1960s when 4-
belief about whether you think you can do it.
Self-efficacy is usually associated with a specific goal or activity year-old boys and girls were left alone by themselves in a room with one big
o being able to pass a math class marshmallow on the table right in front of them.
Before they were left alone, the experimenter told them that they could eat the
o stick to a schedule marshmallow now or, if they did not eat it before the experimenter returned, they
o run a marathon. could have another marshmallow.
rather than about being able to do anything and everything. After the experimenter leaves the room, a camera films what the kids do
o This is the power of self-efficacy - the power of believing that you can do Their facial expressions and what they do to deal with this mild form of torture is
what it takes to reach
priceless for the way it shows us some of what we all do in the face of temptation.
o a goal. The results of the experiment were, first, that a significant portion of the kids quickly
o Self-efficacy is one of the most powerful and useful concepts in psychology ate that first marshmallow, sometimes before the experimenter could even finish
for two reasons. the instructions.
First, it has been shown to be important in all areas including mental health,
physical health, sports, music, entertainment, art, education, medicine, and
In addition, there was another significant portion of the kids who waited the 10-15
business. minutes that must have seemed like an eternity for that second marshmallow. But
Second, whereas it may be harder to change your ability or the amount of the most remarkable thing about the findings is what the experimenters discovered
experience you doing something, it may be easier to boost your self-efficacy. when they followed up with the four-year-olds fourteen years later. They found that
those in what the experimenters called the "waiter group" were doing much better
Five (5) things to boost Self-Efficacy than those in what they called the "grabber group."
The first is called "performance experiences." In addition, the "waiters" were better able to control themselves when things didn't
For many of us, the best way to increase our confidence is simply to practice go their way, more able to focus on their studies, did better in school, and had
performing the task we want to master or something close to it. Even the smallest
success on a similar task can increase self-efficacy. significantly higher college entrance exam scores.
The other principle that can help in using performance experiences to build self- In addition to these initial studies with young children, there have been numerous
efficacy is to break down complex and challenging tasks into simpler "baby steps" studies showing how important self-control may be for everything from mental and
that can be practiced and mastered one at a time. physical health to success at school, work, and in relationships.
The second way to increase self-efficacy is simply to watch or see someone else Five (5) ways to increase Self-Control
successfully working towa the same kind of goal that we have. 1. The first is simply called "self-monitoring." Most people don't know that it is
This could be watching a good friend or family member, reading about a sports
responsible for more than half of the success of some of the hardest things we try
hero or famous person in history, or even reading or watching fictional stories.
to do - like losing weight.
The third way to increase self-efficacy is to imagine ourselves doing what it takes It is simply noting on paper, a computer, or a smart phone that you did
to reach our ultimate goal. something you wanted to do, or that you didn't do something that you didn't
Part of why they have been so effective is that they boost your self-efficacy by want to do. This simple noting how you are doing with your self-control goal
getting you to imagine a better future and what you can do to make it happen. can make a big difference in getting us to try to exercise it and how
successful we are at it.
The fourth way to increase self-efficacy brings us back to the idea of strength in
2. Second, "Implementation intention." This involves setting a goal for increasing
numbers that we talked about with resilience. This fourth way is to get positive
self-control, like not having a hot fudge sundae at Baskin Robbins on your way
feedback from others who encourage us in what we are doing in working toward
home from work. Next, you develop a plan for what to do when faced with potential
our goal.
obstacles, like seeing a new ice cream store on your alternate way home! This may
This encouragement is most effective if it comes from someone we look up to and involve practicing what you will do or say to yourself when you hear that little voice
who knows about what we are trying to do, and they may be easier to find than you
saying that one more triple-dip sundae won't hurt that much - just this one time.
think.
3. The third way to increase self-control is called "mental contrasting" and this
involves three steps. The first is to identify an important change that you want to
The fifth and final way to increase self-efficacy brings us back to the connection
make. The second is to identify and imagine the most positive and successful
between self-efficacy and our physiological state of stress or relaxation.
outcome that may result from the change. The third is to add the part from the
Just having self-efficacy leads to reduced emotional distress during a challenge, so implementation intention about imagining the obstacles that may stand in the way
too can decreasing our distress lead to an increase in self-efficacy. of you reaching your goal. In other words, envision your goal and its benefits and
If you can simply use mindful breathing or one of the many other relaxation then mentally walk through the obstacles to achieving it.
techniques available, you will automatically be increasing your self efficacy as you 4. The fourth way to increase self-control is "stimulus control," but could just as
become less anxious and more relaxed. easily be called something less technical like "out of sight, out of mind."
It involves keeping yourself physically distant from the liquor store or not
Thus, these five ways to increase self-efficacy may be one of the most important things keeping alcohol in your house or staying psychologically distant by singing
for us to remember and try for ourselves. your favorite song to keep you from thinking about that triple-dip sundae.
Self-efficacy is the belief that we can do what it takes to reach our goals - and doing 5. The final way to increase self-control is called "urge surfing." It turns out that if
these things will not only our increase that belief but also the likelihood that we will be we have a strong craving for something, trying to put it out of our mind may not
successful. always work. There is a famous experiment where people were asked not to think
about a white bear, and the harder they tried not to think about it, the more they
actually thought about it.
Self-Control Anyway, urge surfing is a skill that involves mindfully focusing on rather than
If you learn self-control, you can master anything. fighting a craving and watching it rise and fall like a big wave at the beach.
- Unknown Whereas you may have thought it would never go away, if you hold off long
enough from grabbing that marshmallow, you learn that the craving actually
Self-Control does recede and, in the process, gain more control to resist the temptation to
First of all, just what is self-control? It has recently been compared to "willpower" by eat before you can get another.
the psychologist Roy Baumeister, who has probably done the most to advance
its study in the past 20 years.
Week 5 1. thoughts - like getting rid of doubts about ourselves or our ability to
My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person; he believed in me.
- Jim Valvano (American basketball player and coach) succeed.
2. feelings - like not hastily reacting in anger in traffic.
Self-Efficacy 3. impulses - like not eating the rest of that chocolate cake; and
Self-efficacy is its name, and this name was coined by the psychologist Albert
Bandura who first studied it. 4. performance - like hitting the right notes on the piano or going for a record
Self-efficacy is easy to confuse with self-esteem on that video game we love.
Self-esteem has to do with how favorably we view ourselves, self-efficacy has a
more particular focus and is defined as "your belief in your ability to do what it The classic experiment that demonstrated the importance of self-control is what
takes to reach a specific goal." has been called the "Marshmallow experiment"
Self-efficacy doesn't have to do with your actual ability to do something, only your This experiment was first conducted at Stanford University in the 1960s when 4-
belief about whether you think you can do it.
Self-efficacy is usually associated with a specific goal or activity year-old boys and girls were left alone by themselves in a room with one big
o being able to pass a math class marshmallow on the table right in front of them.
Before they were left alone, the experimenter told them that they could eat the
o stick to a schedule marshmallow now or, if they did not eat it before the experimenter returned, they
o run a marathon. could have another marshmallow.
rather than about being able to do anything and everything. After the experimenter leaves the room, a camera films what the kids do
o This is the power of self-efficacy - the power of believing that you can do Their facial expressions and what they do to deal with this mild form of torture is
what it takes to reach
priceless for the way it shows us some of what we all do in the face of temptation.
o a goal. The results of the experiment were, first, that a significant portion of the kids quickly
o Self-efficacy is one of the most powerful and useful concepts in psychology ate that first marshmallow, sometimes before the experimenter could even finish
for two reasons. the instructions.
First, it has been shown to be important in all areas including mental health,
physical health, sports, music, entertainment, art, education, medicine, and
In addition, there was another significant portion of the kids who waited the 10-15
business. minutes that must have seemed like an eternity for that second marshmallow. But
Second, whereas it may be harder to change your ability or the amount of the most remarkable thing about the findings is what the experimenters discovered
experience you doing something, it may be easier to boost your self-efficacy. when they followed up with the four-year-olds fourteen years later. They found that
those in what the experimenters called the "waiter group" were doing much better
Five (5) things to boost Self-Efficacy than those in what they called the "grabber group."
The first is called "performance experiences." In addition, the "waiters" were better able to control themselves when things didn't
For many of us, the best way to increase our confidence is simply to practice go their way, more able to focus on their studies, did better in school, and had
performing the task we want to master or something close to it. Even the smallest
success on a similar task can increase self-efficacy. significantly higher college entrance exam scores.
The other principle that can help in using performance experiences to build self- In addition to these initial studies with young children, there have been numerous
efficacy is to break down complex and challenging tasks into simpler "baby steps" studies showing how important self-control may be for everything from mental and
that can be practiced and mastered one at a time. physical health to success at school, work, and in relationships.
The second way to increase self-efficacy is simply to watch or see someone else Five (5) ways to increase Self-Control
successfully working towa the same kind of goal that we have. 1. The first is simply called "self-monitoring." Most people don't know that it is
This could be watching a good friend or family member, reading about a sports
responsible for more than half of the success of some of the hardest things we try
hero or famous person in history, or even reading or watching fictional stories.
to do - like losing weight.
The third way to increase self-efficacy is to imagine ourselves doing what it takes It is simply noting on paper, a computer, or a smart phone that you did
to reach our ultimate goal. something you wanted to do, or that you didn't do something that you didn't
Part of why they have been so effective is that they boost your self-efficacy by want to do. This simple noting how you are doing with your self-control goal
getting you to imagine a better future and what you can do to make it happen. can make a big difference in getting us to try to exercise it and how
successful we are at it.
The fourth way to increase self-efficacy brings us back to the idea of strength in
2. Second, "Implementation intention." This involves setting a goal for increasing
numbers that we talked about with resilience. This fourth way is to get positive
self-control, like not having a hot fudge sundae at Baskin Robbins on your way
feedback from others who encourage us in what we are doing in working toward
home from work. Next, you develop a plan for what to do when faced with potential
our goal.
obstacles, like seeing a new ice cream store on your alternate way home! This may
This encouragement is most effective if it comes from someone we look up to and involve practicing what you will do or say to yourself when you hear that little voice
who knows about what we are trying to do, and they may be easier to find than you
saying that one more triple-dip sundae won't hurt that much - just this one time.
think.
3. The third way to increase self-control is called "mental contrasting" and this
involves three steps. The first is to identify an important change that you want to
The fifth and final way to increase self-efficacy brings us back to the connection
make. The second is to identify and imagine the most positive and successful
between self-efficacy and our physiological state of stress or relaxation.
outcome that may result from the change. The third is to add the part from the
Just having self-efficacy leads to reduced emotional distress during a challenge, so implementation intention about imagining the obstacles that may stand in the way
too can decreasing our distress lead to an increase in self-efficacy. of you reaching your goal. In other words, envision your goal and its benefits and
If you can simply use mindful breathing or one of the many other relaxation then mentally walk through the obstacles to achieving it.
techniques available, you will automatically be increasing your self efficacy as you 4. The fourth way to increase self-control is "stimulus control," but could just as
become less anxious and more relaxed. easily be called something less technical like "out of sight, out of mind."
It involves keeping yourself physically distant from the liquor store or not
Thus, these five ways to increase self-efficacy may be one of the most important things keeping alcohol in your house or staying psychologically distant by singing
for us to remember and try for ourselves. your favorite song to keep you from thinking about that triple-dip sundae.
Self-efficacy is the belief that we can do what it takes to reach our goals - and doing 5. The final way to increase self-control is called "urge surfing." It turns out that if
these things will not only our increase that belief but also the likelihood that we will be we have a strong craving for something, trying to put it out of our mind may not
successful. always work. There is a famous experiment where people were asked not to think
about a white bear, and the harder they tried not to think about it, the more they
actually thought about it.
Self-Control Anyway, urge surfing is a skill that involves mindfully focusing on rather than
If you learn self-control, you can master anything. fighting a craving and watching it rise and fall like a big wave at the beach.
- Unknown Whereas you may have thought it would never go away, if you hold off long
enough from grabbing that marshmallow, you learn that the craving actually
Self-Control does recede and, in the process, gain more control to resist the temptation to
First of all, just what is self-control? It has recently been compared to "willpower" by eat before you can get another.
the psychologist Roy Baumeister, who has probably done the most to advance
its study in the past 20 years.
