Self-Efficacy and Mental Health: We Can Do Hard Things | Brenna Horton | TEDxSUU

Summary

This video explores the concept of self-efficacy theory, developed by psychologist Albert Bandura, which emphasizes an individual's belief in their ability to accomplish specific tasks. The speaker reflects on their personal struggles with social anxiety and how understanding self-efficacy helped them confront challenges. By sharing experiences from their life, including overcoming anxiety and engaging in difficult tasks like horseback riding, they demonstrate how self-efficacy grows through mastery experiences, encouragement, and emotional management. Ultimately, the speaker highlights the importance of seeking support from others and believing in oneself to overcome obstacles.

Takeaways

• 😀 Self-efficacy refers to the belief in one's ability to successfully accomplish specific tasks, as developed by Albert Bandura in the 1970s.
• 😀 Self-efficacy is task-based and can vary from person to person, influencing how individuals approach or avoid challenges based on their confidence in handling them.
• 😀 Mental health therapy often includes actionable steps, like coping skills or tasks, to help individuals improve their self-efficacy and overcome struggles.
• 😀 Low self-efficacy can lead to avoidance or lack of motivation, while high self-efficacy encourages persistence and confidence in tackling difficult tasks.
• 😀 Individuals can increase their self-efficacy through mastery experiences (successfully completing tasks), vicarious experiences (learning from others), and receiving encouragement.
• 😀 The speaker reflects on their personal journey with social anxiety, using self-efficacy theory to better understand their struggles and progress.
• 😀 The speaker’s social anxiety was exacerbated by their introversion, which led to feelings of isolation and doubt, particularly in high school.
• 😀 Building self-efficacy involves taking on difficult tasks and pushing through discomfort, even when results aren’t perfect or when social anxiety persists.
• 😀 Receiving encouragement from others can help build self-efficacy, but it’s also important to manage negative emotions and internal doubts to make progress.
• 😀 The speaker’s religious beliefs provided a model for perseverance, but they eventually recognized the importance of asking for help and sharing experiences with others.
• 😀 A specific personal experience during the speaker’s mission helped them break down emotional barriers, as a mentor’s simple words offered significant emotional relief.
• 😀 Practical experiences, like learning horsemanship, demonstrated how building self-efficacy through repeated effort and reflection can help overcome fear and doubt.

Q & A

What is self-efficacy, and how is it different from self-esteem or self-confidence?

Self-efficacy, developed by Albert Bandura, refers to the belief in one's ability to succeed in specific tasks. Unlike self-esteem or self-confidence, which are broader and relate to one's general sense of worth or belief in abilities, self-efficacy is task-based and focuses on the ability to accomplish specific goals.

How does self-efficacy relate to mental health and therapy?

In therapy, self-efficacy plays a crucial role because therapy often involves setting small, actionable tasks for clients. These tasks help improve mental health by increasing the client's belief in their ability to overcome challenges, leading to progress in managing mental health issues.

What are some ways self-efficacy can be developed or increased?

Self-efficacy can be developed through mastery experiences (successfully completing tasks), vicarious experiences (learning from others' successes), receiving encouragement, and managing negative emotions effectively.

Can self-efficacy be high or low for different tasks, and what does that mean?

Yes, self-efficacy can vary depending on the task. For tasks where a person has high self-efficacy, they are more likely to be motivated and approach them confidently. For tasks where self-efficacy is low, the person may avoid them or lack motivation.

How did the speaker’s struggle with social anxiety relate to self-efficacy?

The speaker's struggle with social anxiety shows how low self-efficacy can affect one's confidence in social situations. Through their journey, the speaker gradually increased their self-efficacy by overcoming challenges and reflecting on past successes, which helped reduce anxiety in future situations.

What role did the speaker’s experiences in high school play in their development of self-efficacy?

During high school, the speaker faced challenges like moving to a new place and adjusting to social environments. Despite initial feelings of isolation, they faced these challenges, and the experience of participating in the senior baseball game, although imperfect, became a pivotal moment in building their self-efficacy.

What does the speaker’s story reveal about the importance of community support in overcoming mental health struggles?

The speaker emphasizes that overcoming mental health struggles, such as social anxiety, is not something that should be done alone. They found strength in sharing their experiences with others and receiving encouragement from people who understood their struggles, which helped increase their self-efficacy.

How did the speaker’s religious beliefs shape their approach to dealing with anxiety?

The speaker initially believed that faith alone, specifically their belief in Jesus Christ, would be enough to overcome anxiety. However, they eventually recognized the importance of seeking support from others and not facing challenges alone, aligning their religious beliefs with a more communal approach to healing.

How did the speaker’s experience on their mission contribute to their personal growth?

On their mission, the speaker went through a rough period but found support from a fellow missionary who offered validation and comfort. This helped the speaker break through emotional barriers and showed the importance of receiving help when struggling with self-doubt and anxiety.

What lessons did the speaker learn from the horsemanship class experience?

The speaker learned that managing negative emotions is crucial to building self-efficacy. Despite feeling overwhelmed while learning to lope a horse, the speaker processed their emotions, reframed their experience, and sought practical solutions (like requesting a different horse and saddle) to continue progressing.