Self-Efficacy in Sports Psychology

This assignment delves into Albert Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, focusing on his concept of self-efficacy. It examines how individuals' beliefs in their capabilities influence their actions and success in sports. The assignment outlines the four sources of self-efficacy: mastery experiences, social modeling, social persuasion, and psychological responses. It further illustrates how coaches can leverage these sources to enhance athletes' confidence and performance.

Running head: INTRODUCTION TO SPORTS AND EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY
Overview of Bandura's Theory of Self-Efficacy and its application is sports
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1
INTRODUCTION TO SPORTS AND EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY
Albert Bandura is an eminent psychologist who has widens the understanding of the
people on the Human psyche along with his contributions in positive psychology. However,
his theory of self-efficacy is a part of social cognitive theory is elementary to positive
psychology and peruses to shape thinking in this field. According to Bandura, Self-efficacy is
the confidence in an individual’s capability to influence incidents that affect one’s life and get
control over those events are experienced (Maddux & Kleiman, 2012). Self-efficacy mainly
associates to one’s perception of their capability to attain a goal. It is mainly the belief exists
in individuals that they are capable of performing in a way that can take them to the targeted
goal. Therefore, self-efficacy theory is mainly the expectation that makes an individual
confident enough that they can master a condition and create a positive result out of it.
Bandura has highlighted four major sources of self-efficacy, which are as follows-
1. Mastery Experiences- An effectual way that can built a powerful recognition of
efficacy is through successfully performing a given task which strengths the
awareness of self-efficacy in the individual.
2. Social modeling- Another important source is when one observes that other people
can successfully complete a task. When similar person are perceived successfully
doing a task actually makes the observer raise their beliefs that they also have the
potentials to do it (Duarte, Garganta & Fonseca, 2014)
3. .
4. Social persuasion- When people are encouraged verbally by others leads them to
leave aside their self-doubts and pushes them to give their best for the task in hand.
5. Psychological Responses- An important role is also played by an individual’s
responses and emotional reactions. The way a person feels about their capabilities to
perform a given job is greatly affected by his mood, reactions, stress and emotions
(Schwarzer, 2014).
Therefore, from the sources of self-efficacy it is evident that it can help the football
coach to organize practices in such a way so that young players can become as well as stay
confident in the pitch. Before starting a practice session, the coach can take the players to
observe another similar group of players playing football. Through observing, the coach can
make this team boost up their confidence that if they can play it well then why not these
players can (Gilson, Chow & Feltz, 2012). Then another major way that will be very much
helpful is by encouraging the players verbally. If the plays will get constant, encouragement
from their coach while they are playing this will surely make them confident enough to push

2
INTRODUCTION TO SPORTS AND EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY
themselves more and give 200 percent more in the game. However, from a research example,
which was done, to find out the relevance of the coaches in football practices to make the
players understand the influence of their self-efficacy it was found that there exists a unity
between the coach and the players on a rank of significance of the appraised factors. Thus,
they get motivated and adopt similar behaviors that of their coaches in the practice session
which in a help them gain self-efficacy and show the confidence in the pitch.

3
INTRODUCTION TO SPORTS AND EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY
References
Duarte, D., Garganta, J., & Fonseca, A. (2014). Importance of Efficacy in Achieving
Coaches’ Success in Football. A Perspective from Elite Athletes and
Coaches. International Journal of Sports Science, 4(1), 14-20.
Gilson, T. A., Chow, G. M., & Feltz, D. L. (2012). Self‐efficacy and athletic squat
performance: Positive or negative influences at the within‐and between‐levels of
analysis. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 42(6), 1467-1485.
Maddux, J. E., & Kleiman, E. M. (2012). Self‐efficacy. The Wiley Handbook of Positive
Clinical Psychology, 89-101.
Schwarzer, R. (Ed.). (2014). Self-efficacy: Thought control of action. Taylor & Francis.