Abstract
Bandura unifies behaviour change around self-efficacy — whether you believe you can perform what matters. That belief shapes whether you start, how hard you try, and how long you persist — built from mastery, models, persuasion, and body state.
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215. DOI
Key findings
- Self-efficacy core — Belief in capability — not general confidence — predicts whether coping behaviour starts at all.
- Effort and persistence — Higher efficacy raises effort and stamina when obstacles hit — quit rates drop.
- Four sources — Mastery experience, vicarious models, verbal persuasion, and physiological state rebuild belief.
- Unified change frame — One construct links phobia work, pain tolerance, and career shifts in the same theory.
Limits
Synthesis review — strong map for the field, not one fresh trial; use for orientation before primary studies.
Application
When someone says they cannot — ask what they have seen themselves do before; self-efficacy is built from mastery memory, not pep talk. Club move: Permission withheld. See Troublemaker levels.