Self-efficacy theory refers to an individual’s belief that they are capable of performing a task. The higher your self-efficacy, the more confidence you have in your ability to succeed. So, in difficult situations those with high self-efficacy will try harder to master the challenge. Feedback influences self-efficacy; individuals high in self-efficacy seem to respond to negative feedback with increased effort and motivation, while those low in self-efficacy are likely to lessen their effort after negative feedback.

The most important source of increasing self-efficacy is enactive mastery—that is, gaining relevant experience. If you’ve been able to do the job successfully in the past, you’re more confident that you can do it in the future. The second source is vicarious modeling—becoming more confident because you see someone else doing the task. If your friend quits smoking, it increases your confidence that you can quit, too.

The third source is verbal persuasion: We become more confident when someone convinces us we have the skills necessary to be successful. Motivational speakers use this tactic. People who are intelligent, conscientious, and emotionally stable are so much more likely to have high self-efficacy that some researchers argue that self-efficacy is less important than prior research would suggest. They believe it is partially a by-product in a smart person with a confident personality.