Final answer:
Bandura's concept of self-efficacy is the belief in one's own abilities to manage situations, affecting their willingness to tackle tasks and set goals. Two key factors, outcome expectancy and efficacy expectancy, determine an individual's action-taking propensity. Observational learning and reciprocal determinism also interplay with self-efficacy in shaping an individual's behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
Albert Bandura's concept of self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in their own capabilities to execute actions required to deal with prospective situations. This level of confidence in one's own abilities is developed through social experiences. According to Bandura, self-efficacy influences how individuals approach challenges and achieve goals. There are two conditions that affect an individual's willingness to take action. Firstly, the outcome expectancy, which is a person's estimate that a given behavior will lead to certain outcomes. Secondly, the efficacy expectancy, which is the belief that one can successfully execute the behavior required to produce the outcomes. People with high self-efficacy are more likely to embrace challenges, set higher goals, and persist through failures, whereas those with low self-efficacy tend to avoid difficult tasks, doubt their abilities, and give up more easily.
Bandura also discussed the concept of observational learning, which involves learning by watching the behaviors of others and the consequences that result, influencing an individual's behavior, cognitive processes, and situational context through a process he called reciprocal determinism. A person's perceived self-efficacy can play a part in whether they choose to engage in certain behaviors, such as imitating models seen as successful or avoiding behaviors seen as having negative results.