These days, keeping your self-efficacy in check is more important than ever. Life was already tough, but the pandemic made things almost impossible for some people. While some were affected more than others, almost everyone felt the effects of this global crisis in one way or another.
That’s why this new study that was published by researchers at the University of Zurich is particularly refreshing. According to them, people can boost resilience simply by reflecting on what they’re capable of. This is great news since it’s a simple solution to the mental chaos people have been going through.
Details of the Study
The researchers conducting the study are from the Departments of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Psychosomatics, all from the University of Zurich. Christina Paersch, MSc, was the lead researcher. The other researchers on the project were Ava Schulz, Frank H Wilhelm, Adam D Brown, and Birgit Kleim.
The study included, though very insightful, was relatively simple. It included 75 subjects. These subjects were instructed to recall an incredibly stressful and negatively emotional memory.
They were then divided into two groups. One group was instructed to vividly recall a positive event while the other group was instructed to recall a time they felt extremely self-efficacious. Then they were instructed to recall the negative emotional memory again.
Researchers found that the group that recalled their self-efficacious moment were better able to view the negative emotional memory in a different light than the other group. They had an easier time coping with the negative memory; some of them had an easier time after only one time recalling their self-efficacy.
The researchers stated, “our study shows that recalling self-efficacious autobiographical events can be used as a tool both in everyday life and in clinical settings to boost personal resilience.” In other words, just remember how tough you are. Remember what you’re made of and it can get you through tough times.
What is Self-Efficacy?
The term self-efficacy was coined by psychologist Albert Bandura. He defined it as a person’s belief in their ability to handle and succeed in each situation. In short, it’s believing in yourself.
Strong efficacy in yourself isn’t something that just happens or occurs. Just as unique life experiences change a person’s efficacy, it also changes how they view themselves. This point of view gets developed over time and can be influenced by outside factors such as family/friends, socioeconomic status, health, and more.
It can seem that some people believe in themselves a lot more than others. You may not be consciously aware of your self-efficacious nature but, according to Bandura’s theory, everyone develops some level of self-efficacy. Luckily, it can also be strengthened. As Bandura stated in his book Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control, “Ability is not a fixed property; there is a huge variability in how you perform.”
There are many influences that can shape a person’s efficacy in themselves. Bandura identified four primary influences that help to shape a person’s level of self efficacy. These influences are:
- Past Performances
- Vicarious experiences
- Verbal Encouragement
- Physical feedback
Past Performances
Past performances, also referred to as mastery experiences, are the most significant influence on self-efficacy according to Bandura. Remember, that was the basis of the study from the University of Zurich – focusing on something they performed well to ease the burden of the negative memory.
This is almost like a catch-22, remembering something you did well to convince yourself …
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