Our text defines self-esteem as “a belief about how a person evaluates his or her self-worth as part of an overall self-evaluation” (Baack, 2012), whereas self-efficacy is the “extent to which people believe they can perform a behavior to produce a particular desired outcome” (Lu, Chang & Lai, 2011). Self-esteem and self-efficacy are interrelated; using this graduate degree from Ashford as an example – having successfully completed an undergraduate degree with honors at Ashford provides me with the high self-efficacy that I can also complete a graduate degree. Similarly, completing courses with good grades boosts self-esteem by reinforcing a positive self-image. On the contrary, if a person failed to achieve a goal, like graduating from college, their self-esteem would be low(er) and their self-efficacy about higher education would also be low. An external forces that can impact self-efficacy are persuasion and encouragement. These forces can come from peers, colleagues, family, or romantic partners (Baack, 2012), and help to strengthen a person’s innate belief in themselves, which can translate into successes in other areas of their life.
Reference
Baack, D. (2012). Organizational behavior. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Lu, L., Chang, Y., & Lai, S. (2011). What differentiates success from strain: The moderating effects of self-efficacy. International Journal of Stress Management, 18(4), 396-412. doi:10.1037/a0025122. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=a0f120c9-c8e0-4e28-951d-c9458c594632%40sessionmgr4002&hid=4111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=pdh&AN=2011-18049-001