Self-efficacy
Self-efficacy is your belief in your own capability to organise and execute the actions a specific task requires. Albert Bandura introduced the concept in 1977, and it is task-specific: you can have high self-efficacy for cooking and low self-efficacy for tax returns. Low self-efficacy is one of the most consistent correlates of procrastination, because tasks you doubt you can do are tasks that feel threatening to start.
| Field | Social cognitive psychology |
|---|---|
| Key researchers | Albert Bandura, Dale Schunk |
| Related concepts | Self-esteem, learned helplessness, expectancy in temporal motivation theory, growth mindset |
The evidence
Steel's 2007 meta-analysis of procrastination found self-efficacy among the strongest and most reliable correlates: the less people believed they could do a task, the more they delayed it. This fits temporal motivation theory, where expectancy of success multiplies into a task's motivational value. It also explains why procrastination clusters around unfamiliar, high-stakes or previously failed tasks rather than being spread evenly across life.
How self-efficacy is built
Bandura identified four sources, in descending order of power: mastery experiences, actually succeeding, especially after effort; vicarious experience, watching someone like you succeed; verbal persuasion, credible encouragement; and interpreting your physiological state, reading nerves as readiness rather than incapacity. The practical move for procrastinators is manufacturing small mastery experiences: shrink the task until success is nearly certain, complete it, and let the belief compound. Confidence follows evidence, not the other way round.
Related
Steel (2007) meta-analysisTwo-Minute Rule
Frequently asked questions
Is self-efficacy the same as self-esteem?
No. Self-esteem is a global judgement of your worth; self-efficacy is a specific prediction about whether you can do a particular task. You can like yourself and still be sure you cannot write the report, and it is the second belief that drives the delay.