with stress, depression, anxiety, and helplessness.
Such individuals also have low self-esteem and become
pessimistic about their accomplishments and personal
development. In terms of thinking, a strong sense of
efficacy facilitates cognitive processes and performance
in a variety of settings, including quality of decisionmaking
and academic achievement. When it comes to
behaving, self-efficacy can influence people’s choice of
activities. Self-efficacy levels can increase or hamper
motivation. People with high self-efficacy approach
difficult tasks as challenges and do not try to avoid
them. “People’s self-efficacy beliefs determine their
level of motivation, as reflected in how much effort
they will exert in an endeavor and how long they
will persevere in the face of obstacles” (Bandura, 1989,
p. 1176).