Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Psychology

Chapter

Self and Personality

Question:

Tarun believes that he is capable of selecting, influencing and even constructing the circumstances of his own life. He had a bad habit of smoking, but the moment he became a father he decided to quit the habit, and he never returned to it again. Which aspect of Tarun's self is being reflected here?

Options:

Self-esteem

Self-efficacy

Self-concept

Self-instruction

Correct Answer:

Self-efficacy

Explanation:

The correct answer is Option (2) → Self-efficacy

Self-efficacy is an important aspect of our self. People differ in the extent to which they believe they themselves control their life outcomes or the outcomes are controlled by luck or fate or other situational factors, e.g. passing an examination. A person who believes that s/he has the ability or behaviours required by a particular situation demonstrates high self-efficacy. The notion of self-efficacy is based on Bandura’s social learning theory. Bandura’s initial studies showed that children and adults learned behaviour by observing and imitating others. People’s expectations of mastery or achievement and their convictions about their own effectiveness also determine the types of behaviour in which they would engage, as also the amount of risk they would undertake. A strong sense of self-efficacy allows people to select, influence, and even construct the circumstances of their own life. People with a strong sense of self efficacy also feel less fearful. Self-efficacy can be developed. People with high self-efficacy have been found to stop smoking the moment they decide to do so. Our society, our parents and our own positive experiences can help in the development of a strong sense of self efficacy by presenting positive models during the formative years of children