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32 - Self-Efficacy Interventions

from Part III - Behavior Change Interventions: Practical Guides to Behavior Change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2020

By
Lisa M. Warner  and
David P. French
Edited by
Martin S. Hagger ,
Linda D. Cameron ,
Kyra Hamilton ,
Nelli Hankonen  and
Taru Lintunen
Martin S. Hagger
Affiliation:
University of California, Merced
Linda D. Cameron
Affiliation:
University of California, Merced
Kyra Hamilton
Affiliation:
Griffith University
Nelli Hankonen
Affiliation:
University of Helsinki
Taru Lintunen
Affiliation:
University of Jyväskylä
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Summary

Self-efficacy can be defined as individuals’ beliefs in their capability to implement a behavior needed to reach a goal or perform a task successfully. A vast amount of empirical research shows that self-efficacy is a key factor in predicting and explaining the successful initiation and maintenance of behavior change in various domains of human life. Less research has been conducted on the sources of self-efficacy (mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, somatic and affective states) and how these can be prompted in behavior change interventions. This chapter reviews primary and meta-analytic research on behavior change techniques promoting self-efficacy beliefs in interventions for change in health, work, and academic contexts. It also provides practical guidelines and concrete examples on how to design and evaluate behavior change interventions that target self-efficacy.

Keywords

social cognitive theorysources of self-efficacymastery experiencevicarious experienceverbal persuasionaffective and somatic statesmodeling
Type
Chapter
Information
The Handbook of Behavior Change , pp. 461 - 478
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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