1. Seeing Our Futures Through Self-Efficacy, Optimism, and Hope
Chapter Eight
Seeing Our Futures Through Self-Efficacy, Optimism, and Hope
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

2. Self-Efficacy Albert Bandura, Stanford
- belief that you can accomplish goals
- based on a sense of personal control
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

3. 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
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

4. Self-Efficacy Includes: - outcome expectancies - efficacy expectancies
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

5. Self-Efficacy a learned human pattern of thinking
begins in infancy & continues through life
based on social cognitive theory:
- humans actively shape their lives
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

6. Self-Efficacy Built on 3 Ideas:
humans have powerful symbolizing capacities
self-observation & self-regulation
personality as a result of reciprocal interactions
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

7. Self-Efficacy Developmental Antecedents: 1. Previous Similar Successes
2. Modeling
3. Imagery/Visualization
4. Verbal Persuasion
5. Arousal & Emotion
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

8. 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
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

9. 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 Scale
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

10. Dispositional Measures of Self-Efficacy
Self-Efficacy Scale
- 2 factors =
general & social self-efficacy
New General Self-Efficacy Scale
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

11. 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
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

12. Self-Efficacy in Psychological Adjustment
High Self-Efficacy related to:
- successful coping
- overcoming eating disorders & abuse
- life satisfaction
Enablement Factors
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

13. 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
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

14. Self-Efficacy in Psychotherapy
Self-Efficacy as a common factor in therapy
Build self-efficacy in therapy via the 5 developmental antecedents
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

15. 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
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

16. 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
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

17. Learned Optimism
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

18. Childhood Antecedents of Learned Optimism
partly genetic
partly learned
promoted via safe, coherent environments
adaptive excusing modeled by parents
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

19. Pessimism develops when modeled by parents
related to parental death or divorce, abuse, incest
link to television viewing
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

20. 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 neurotransmitters
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

21. Neurobiology of Optimism and Pessimism
Neurolobiological markers linked to perceived control and pessimism-depression thoughts
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

22. Measures of Learned Optimism
Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ)
Children’s Attributional Style Questionnaire (CASQ)
Content Analysis of Verbal Explanation approach (CAVE)
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

23. Learned Optimism Learned optimism associated with:
- better academic performances
- superior athletic performances
- work productivity
- relationship satisfaction
- effective coping
- less vulnerability to depression
- superior physical health
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

24. 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 efficacy
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

25. Childhood Antecedents of Optimism
genetic basis
learning component from early childhood experiences with parental figures (secure attachment)
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

26. Optimism Measures Life Orientation Test (LOT)
Life Orientation Test – Revised (LOT-R)
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

27. Optimism Optimism related to: - problem-solving - planfulness
- approach-oriented coping
- positive reframing
- going to college
- good work performance
- coping with cancer
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

28. 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
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

29. Hope C. R. Snyder, University of Kansas
- emphasizes cognitions built on goal-directed thought
- pathways thinking
- agency thinking
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

30. 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
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

31. Hope
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

32. 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
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

33. Measures of Hope Adult Trait Hope Scale Adult State Hope Scale
Children’s Hope Scale
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

34. Hope Hope predicts: - academic performance - sport performance
- physical health
- adjustment
- psychotherapy outcomes
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

35. 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
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

36. Temporal Orientations
Advantages & disadvantages of all 3 temporal domains:
-past
-present
- future
Role of Cultural Perspectives
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE

37. Temporal Orientations
Key = balance via operating in the domain that best fits the situation
Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory
(pp )
Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths © 2010 SAGE