SELF-EFFICACY THEORY

Sources of confidence: previous achievements, verbal persuasion and physiological states.

Self-efficacy, according to the classical model, is an individual's unwavering belief in his or her ability to execute the necessary actions and achieve a specific outcome.

This confidence does not emerge from a vacuum, but is built on four fundamental pillars.

The most powerful is mastery experiences (previous achievements): nothing generates more confidence than having been successful in the past.

The second is vicarious experience: seeing someone similar succeed.

The third is verbal persuasion (encouragement from coaches and peers), and the fourth is the interpretation of physiological states (how we read our own body). Let's imagine a high jumper trying to beat a new personal best.

If in previous training sessions he has already surpassed close heights (previous achievement), his confidence will be high.

If he also sees a teammate of the same height and physical constitution surpassing the bar (vicarious experience), he will reinforce the belief "if he can do it, I can do it".

If his coach reminds him of his good technique before the jump (verbal persuasion) and the athlete interprets his racing heart as energy ready to explode rather than fear (physiological state), the probability of success and self-efficacy are maximized.

Impact of beliefs on persistence in the face of difficulty.

Self-efficacy acts as a driver of resilience. Athletes with high levels of self-efficacy see obstacles not as signs of inability, but as challenges to overcome.

This belief determines how much effort they will invest and how long they will persist in the face of adversity.

Conversely, self-doubt leads to reducing effort or quitting prematurely when the going gets tough.

A clear example would be a volleyball team that loses the first two sets in a final.

Players with low self-efficacy might think "today is not our day" and mentally drop their arms.

However, if the team possesses high collective efficacy, they will interpret the adverse score as a temporary situation that requires strategic adjustment and increased effort.

They will believe they have the tools to come back, which will lead them to fight every point of the third set with the same intensity as if they were winning, dramatically increasing their chances of reversing the outcome.

Summary

Self-efficacy is the unwavering belief in one's own ability to perform actions and achieve results. It is built on four fundamental pillars: prior accomplishments, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and physiological states.

Correctly interpreting these sources is vital to maximizing confidence. Seeing a similar peer succeed reinforces self-belief, and reading physical activation as energy rather than fear boosts performance.

This quality acts as an essential driver of resilience in the face of difficulty. Athletes with high self-efficacy see obstacles as challenges to overcome, which determines their persistence and effort in the face of adversity.