Framework · Albert Bandura
Self-efficacy
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Belief in your ability to perform a behaviour shapes whether you try and persist; it grows mainly from your own successes, and also from watching similar others, encouragement and managing anxiety.
How to use it with a real habit
- Start at a level where success is likely.
- Notice each success.
- Learn from people similar to you.
What the evidence says
Research-supported: Good studies support it, but there are fewer of them, the effects are modest, or they come from a narrow set of situations.
A foundational theory and one of the most consistent predictors of behaviour change in health research.
Limits
- Confidence without skill or opportunity isn’t enough.
Sources
- Bandura (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191
- Schwarzer (2008). Modeling Health Behavior Change: How to Predict and Modify the Adoption and Maintenance of Health Behaviors. Applied Psychology. doi:10.1111/j.1464-0597.2007.00325.x
Related techniques
- Build confidence from small wins — Do a version you’re sure you can do, then notice that you did it. (Research-supported)
- Watch someone do it — See how someone else actually does the habit, then borrow what fits. (Research-supported)
- Step it up gradually — Start easy and raise the difficulty in small steps once the easy version is steady. (Research-supported)