People not only gain understanding through reflection, they evaluate and alter their own thinking.
Self-percepts foster actions that generate information, as well as serve as a filtering mechanism for self-referent information in the self-maintaining process.
Except for events that carry great weight, it is not experience per se, but how they match expectations, that governs their emotional impact.
The satisfactions people derive from what they do are determined to a large degree by their self-evaluative standards.
People regulate their level and distribution of effort in accordance with the effects they expect their actions to have. As a result, their behavior is better predicted from their beliefs than from the actual consequences of their actions.
In social cognitive theory, perceived self-efficacy results from diverse sources of information conveyed vicariously and through social evaluation, as well as through direct experience.
It is no more informative to speak of self-efficacy in global terms than to speak of nonspecific social behavior.
Misbeliefs in one’s inefficacy may retard development of the very subskills upon which more complex performances depend.
Such self-referent misgivings creates stress and undermine effective use of the competencies people possess by diverting attention from how best to proceed to concern over personal failings and possible mishaps.
The effects of outcome expectancies on performance motivation are partly governed by self-beliefs of efficacy.
It is widely assumed that beliefs in personal determination of outcomes create a sense of efficacy and power, whereas beliefs that outcomes occur regardless of what one does result in apathy.
Regression analyses show that self-efficacy contributes to achievement behavior beyond the effects of cognitive skills.
Ironically, it is the talented who have high aspirations, which are possible but exceedingly difficult to realize, who are especially vulnerable to self-dissatisfaction despite notable achievements.
Persons who have a strong sense of efficacy deploy their attention and effort to the demands of the situation and are spurred by obstacles to greater effort.
Very often we developed a better grasp of the subjects than the over worked teachers.
We are more heavily invested in the theories of failure than we are in the theories of success.
Even the self-assured will raise their perceived self-efficacy if models teach them better ways of doing things.
Measures of self-precept must be tailored to the domain of psychological functioning being explored.
Once established, reputations do not easily change.
One cannot afford to be a realist.