Well that took a lot longer than expected! Back in action after a tough few weeks in 2020. I left off talking about how my research came to be and I promised to talk more about the actual development of efficacy….so here it goes…
Efficacy as defined in an earlier blog post ebbs and flow over time, yet there are four stages of development or growth. As a social learning theory ones behavior, environment, and person all relate to one another as self-efficacy is developed. Inactive mastery experiences provide the most authentic evidence of whether to not one will be able to succeed. Successes help to build personal efficacy, as failures undermine it. The more successes one has over time, the higher level of personal efficacy is maintained.
Role modeling or vicarious experiences help to further build ones efficacy levels. People tend to appraise their own capabilities based on the attainments of others, otherwise known as social comparison. Surpassing others or competitors increases ones efficacy level, while being outperformed lowers them. Basically, we like to compare our successes to others in order to feel better about our own performances.
Verbal persuasion or positive affirmations help to increase levels of personal efficacy. Optimistic social performance over time is the best strategy to utilize when helping to increase ones efficacy level, rather than just noting high performance achievements. Diagnosing strengths and weaknesses can also work to enhance performance as one looks to achieve certain goals that have been set.
Finally, one can judge their level of efficacy based on physiological and affective states of being. Overall health and wellness of any individual can impact assessment of personal efficacy. The best way to alter or increase states of efficacy can include reducing stress, enhance physical status, and correct misinterpretations of bodily states. If we don’t feel good about ourselves or our emotional state, levels of efficacy can decrease.
My research on the impact of formal sorority recruitment on the development of efficacy on sorority women clearly finds many aspects involved truly negate self and collective efficacy for individual women, as well as the chapter as a whole. Both high and low recruiting strength chapter were studied. Many women felt as though their membership selection opportunities were taken away from them by using the Release Figure Method as supported by the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC).