self-efficacy.

A person’s belief that they can perform actions needed to handle a particular task or situation.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• task-specific self-efficacy
• academic self-efficacy

On the page

The training improved self-efficacy before the participants’ measured performance changed.

Her self-efficacy in writing did not extend automatically to public speaking.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychology / character / human behavior. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: characterization, motivation, interpersonal behavior, self-evaluation. Disciplines: psychology, human behavior, character writing. Commonness: uncommon.