chapter eight seeing our futures through self- efficacy, optimism, and hope positive psychology: the...

Chapter Eight

Seeing Our Futures Through Self-Efficacy, Optimism, and Hope

Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human

Strengths © 2010 SAGE

Self-Efficacy

Albert Bandura, Stanford

- belief that you can accomplish goals

- based on a sense of personal control



Self-Efficacy

defined as:- “people’s beliefs in their

capabilities to produce desired effects by their own actions” – Bandura

- “what I believe I can do with my skills under certain conditions” - Maddux



Self-Efficacy

Includes:

- outcome expectancies

- efficacy expectancies



Self-Efficacy

a learned human pattern of thinking

begins in infancy & continues through life

based on social cognitive theory:

- humans actively shape their lives



Self-Efficacy Built on 3 Ideas:

1. humans have powerful symbolizing capacities

2. self-observation & self-regulation

3. personality as a result of reciprocal interactions



Self-Efficacy Developmental Antecedents:

1. Previous Similar Successes

2. Modeling

3. Imagery/Visualization

4. Verbal Persuasion

5. Arousal & EmotionPositive Psychology: The Scientific and

Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

Self-Efficacy Neurobiology of self-efficacy =

- role of frontal & prefrontal lobes- role of right & left hemispheres

Self-efficacy yields sense of control =

- production of neuroendocrines and catecholemines



Situation Specific Self-Efficacy Measures

Career Self-Efficacy Scale

Occupational Questionnaire

Career Counseling Self-Efficacy Scale

Coping Self-Efficacy Scale

Cultural Self-Efficacy Scale

Memory Self-Efficacy ScalePositive Psychology: The Scientific and


Dispositional Measures of Self-Efficacy

Self-Efficacy Scale

- 2 factors =

general & social self-efficacy

New General Self-Efficacy Scale



Self-Efficacy Higher self-efficacy predicts:

- lower anxiety

- higher pain tolerance

- better academic performance

- more political participation

- effective dental practices

- continuation in smoking cessation

- adoption of diet & exercise regimes



Self-Efficacy in Psychological Adjustment

High Self-Efficacy related to:- successful coping

- overcoming eating disorders & abuse

- life satisfaction

Enablement Factors



Self-Efficacy in Physical Health

High Self-Efficacy related to:- increased health-related behaviors

- decreased unhealthy behaviors

- increased immune functioning

- increased catecholemines

- increased pain endorphins



Self-Efficacy in Psychotherapy

Self-Efficacy as a common factor in therapy

Build self-efficacy in therapy via the 5 developmental antecedents



Collective Self-Efficacy

“the extent to which we believe that we can work together effectively to accomplish our goals” - Maddux

no agreement on how to measure

plays a role in classrooms & work teams



Learned Optimism Martin Seligman, University of Penn

- based on learned helplessness and attributional style theories

- optimists make external, variable, and specific attributions for failure

- pessimists make internal, stable, and global attributions for failure



Learned Optimism



Childhood Antecedents of Learned Optimism

partly genetic

partly learned

promoted via safe, coherent environments

adaptive excusing modeled by parents



Pessimism

develops when modeled by parents

related to parental death or divorce, abuse, incest

link to television viewing



Neurobiology of Optimism and Pessimism

Pessimism and depression related to:

- abnormal limbic system functioning

- dysfunctional operations of the lateral prefrontal cortex & paralimbic system

- deficiencies of neurotransmittersPositive Psychology: The Scientific and


Neurobiology of Optimism and Pessimism

Neurolobiological markers linked to perceived control and pessimism-depression thoughts



Measures of Learned Optimism

Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ)

Children’s Attributional Style Questionnaire (CASQ)

Content Analysis of Verbal Explanation approach (CAVE)



Learned Optimism Learned optimism associated with:

- better academic performances

- superior athletic performances

- work productivity

- relationship satisfaction

- effective coping

- less vulnerability to depression

- superior physical healthPositive Psychology: The Scientific and


Optimism

Michael Scheier & Charles Carver

- stable tendency to believe that good rather than bad things will happen

- valued goals produce an expectancy about attainment

- do not emphasize personal efficacyPositive Psychology: The Scientific

and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

Childhood Antecedents of Optimism

genetic basis

learning component from early childhood experiences with parental figures (secure attachment)



Optimism Measures

Life Orientation Test (LOT)

Life Orientation Test – Revised (LOT-R)



Optimism Optimism related to:

- problem-solving

- planfulness

- approach-oriented coping

- positive reframing

- going to college

- good work performance

- coping with cancer



Optimism

Optimists know when to give up versus when to keep on plugging

Pessimists still pursue a goal when it is not the smart thing to do



Hope C. R. Snyder, University of Kansas

- emphasizes cognitions built on goal-directed thought

- pathways thinking

- agency thinking



Hope Goals in hope theory =

- must be important to the person

- can vary temporally

- may be approach oriented

- may be preventative

- varying degrees of difficulty of attainment



Hope



Childhood Antecedents of Hope

no hereditary component

entirely learned inherent part of parenting; strong

attachment is crucial for high hope

components in place by age 2

childhood traumas lesson hope



Measures of Hope

Adult Trait Hope Scale

Adult State Hope Scale

Children’s Hope Scale



Hope Hope predicts:

- academic performance

- sport performance

- physical health

- adjustment

- psychotherapy outcomesPositive Psychology: The Scientific

and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

Collective Hope

the level of goal-directed thinking of a large group of people

often seen when a goal cannot be achieved by a single person



Temporal Orientations

Advantages & disadvantages of all 3 temporal domains:

-past

-present

- future

Role of Cultural PerspectivesPositive Psychology: The Scientific and


Temporal Orientations

Key = balance via operating in the domain that best fits the situation

Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory

(pp. 201- 203)



chapter eight seeing our futures through self- efficacy, optimism, and hope positive psychology: the...

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