Final answer:
Belief in one's ability to execute specific actions that lead to desired outcomes is called self-efficacy, which is integral to how individuals approach goals, perservere through challenges, and ultimately, affects their success and psychological health.
Step-by-step explanation:
Belief in one's ability to carry out specific actions that produce desired outcomes is referred to as self-efficacy. Albert Bandura's theory emphasizes that our sense of self-efficacy strongly influences our behavior. It fuels our motivation, affects the goals we set for ourselves, and determines our resilience in the face of adversity. High levels of self-efficacy encourage an individual to take on challenging tasks and persist through setbacks, whereas low self-efficacy can lead to a more pessimistic outlook and hesitance toward undertaking ambitious projects.
Self-efficacy shapes how an individual approaches goals, tasks, and challenges. For example, an actor must harness a strong belief in their ability to perform, despite knowing the outcome of the narrative, in order to deliver a compelling portrayal. Similarly, in our everyday lives, possessing self-efficacy means acknowledging that we can control certain aspects of our lives and that our actions can lead to positive changes, which in turn, supports our psychological health and career success.