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ABSTRACT: The construct of self-efficacy has found widespread application in many disciplines but has only recently begun to penetrate social work literature. Self-efficacy is a person's belief in his or her ability to carry out a particular action, as distinct from his or her actual capability. The authors describe self-efficacy, discuss its sources, and illustrate methods of incorporating it into social work interventions. Social workers frequently enhance their clients' self-efficacy by attending to and promoting clients' perceptions of their own capabilities. Social workers can consciously select from among several channels to increase clients' self-efficacy. Moreover, deliberate and explicit inclusion of self-efficacy interventions in practice, with evaluation of the results, can advance social work effectiveness.
THE CONSTRUCT OF SELF-EFFICACY has found widespread application in various disciplines but has only recently begun to penetrate social work literature (Gutierrez, 1990; Hepworth & Larsen, 199; Holden, 1991; McDonell, Abell, Miller, 1991; Scharlach, 1985). Social workers have implicitly incorporated self-efficacy interventions by encouraging clients to see themselves as capable. We propose that social workers become more knowledgeable about self-efficacy and deliberately incorporate this knowledge into their practice. This article describes self-efficacy, discusses how it develops, and illustrates methods of using it in work with clients.
What Is Self-Efficacy?
Self-efficacy is a person's perceived, as opposed to actual, capability of carrying out a particular action (Bandura, 1986). People's belief in their ability to carry out specific actions plays a large role in whether they achieve their goals because their beliefs influence whether they initiate and persist in actions directed toward their goals (Bandura, 1986). Individuals with stronger beliefs in their ability to perform particular actions or behaviors will exert more effort and persevere longer than will individuals with weaker beliefs (Bandura, 1977; Holden, 1991). Individuals with lower self-efficacy exert less effort than do persons with high self-efficacy as well as consume emotional energy in dealing with feelings of inadequacy that might be used to focus on the task at hand (Strecher, deVellis, Becker, & Rosenstock, 1986).
Self-efficacy can relate to different components in a sequence of actions aimed at a particular outcome, such as initiating a behavior, sustaining it for a sufficient period, or repeating it regularly (Kuhl, 1986). For example, a woman may believe in her ability to leave her...