MODELS OF THE SELF AND SELF-EFFICACY

MODELS THAT ANSWER THE QUESTION:“HOW DO WE BECOME THE BEST PERSON WE CAN BE?”

Self-Actualisation The Ideal and Real Self Self Efficacy

SELF-ACTUALISATIONMASLOW

REAL SELF AND IDEAL SELF - ROGERS

FULLY FUNCTIONING PERSON

Real and Ideal Self match! Those living life fully have: Openness to experience Existential Living – here and now Organismic Trusting – trusts the real self Experiential Freedom – acknowledges feeling

of freedom and takes responsibility for their choices

Creativity – participate in the world! Arts/sciences/parental love/social concerns, etc.

SELF EFFICACY

Definition: Expectations that we have about our capacity to succeed in particular tasks.

People with high self-efficacy:

Approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered rather than threats to be avoided

Heighten and sustain their efforts in the face of failure

Quickly recover their sense of efficacy after failures/setbacks

Attribute failure to insufficient effort or deficient knowledge and skills which are acquirable

SOURCES OF SELF - EFFICACY

4 main sources: 1) Mastery experience – most effective.

Only easy successes expect quick results discouraged by failure. Resilient sense of efficacy requires experience in overcoming obstacles through perseverance.Success usually requires sustained effort!

2) Vicarious experiences – provided by social models.The more similar to the model, the stronger the effect

3) Social persuasion: persuaded by others that they possess the capabilities to master given activities.They also structure situations that bring success and avoid placing them in situations prematurely where they are likely to fail often. Success is measured in terms of self-improvement rather than by triumphs over others.

4) Somatic and emotional state: positive mood enhances perceived self-efficacy. Need to reduce stress reactions.

DEVELOPING SELF-EFFICACY

Infancy: Exploratory experiences in which they see

themselves produce effects by their actions provide the initial basis for developing a sense of efficacy.

Success in controlling environmental events become more attentive to their own behaviour and more competent in learning new efficacious responses.

Young children: Must gain self-knowledge of their capabilities. Language development provides reflection

and communication of capabilities. Initial efficacy centred in the family, but

peers become increasingly important Social comparison begins (usually with

siblings first)

Adolescence: Growing independence – experimentation

with risky behaviour is common Efficacy expands and strengthened by

learning how to deal successfully with potentially troublesome matters as well as with advantageous life events.

Young Adulthood: Development of coping capabilities and skills

managing one’s motivation, emotional states and thought processes > efficacy > occupational functioning.

Elderly: Physical capacities < BUT gains in

knowledge, skills and expertise compensate some loss