Self-efficacy means belief or confidence in being able to perform or succeed at a certain task. One way of thinking about self-efficacy is, if you think you can do something, you will most likely succeed; if you don’t think you can do something, you will most likely fail.
When facing a challenge, such as engaging in an activity you have never done, trying to lose weight, or even quitting tobacco, do you doubt your ability to be successful? Or, do you keep going, despite failures, saying “I can do this, and I will do this”?
Is self-efficacy the same as self-confidence? The two terms are related, but there are some important distinctions. Self-confidence is more general and refers to a person's overall belief in themselves in all contexts. Self-efficacy, on the other hand, is more specific and context-dependent. A person can have high self-efficacy in one area (such as academics) and low self-efficacy in other areas (such as sports).
Albert Bandura, a well-known psychologist, developed social cognitive theory, of which self-efficacy is a big part. The theory postulates that our attitudes, abilities, and cognitive skills are all essential in determining how we perceive and respond to situations. When thinking about a goal you would like to achieve, or a behavior change you would like to make, putting those goals into action can sometimes be challenging.
If a person has high self-efficacy, they tend to have a deep commitment to their goals, view challenges as something to be mastered, and recover more quickly from setbacks. If a person has a weaker self-efficacy, they tend to avoid the task, believe it is beyond their capability, or focus more on personal failings and negative outcomes.
So, how do you build self-efficacy to quit tobacco use?
- Give credit to your past and present successes.
Give yourself small rewards for doing well. It doesn’t matter if you stayed quit for 5 hours, 5 days, or 5 months. Give yourself credit! You put in the effort, and you were able to succeed for a while. This is critical in developing a strong sense of belief in yourself. Self-affirmations are very important.
- Set specific practical goals.
Studies have shown that when people make general goals such as, “I will quit smoking in 2024”, with no specific plan for accomplishing that, their likelihood of being able to succeed is much lower. When you set specific goals such as, “I will use nicotine gum every time I get a craving,” or “I will take a 10-minute walk when I have a craving “. These are much more specific, and you are more likely to be successful.
- Observe other people modeling effort and success.
Watch people who are staying quit from tobacco. What are they doing to be successful? Pick people whom you see as having similar interests, activities, or do similar work. It can help with finding those similarities to model for yourself. If you don’t know anyone personally who is quitting or recently quit, you can also try reading about what others on the Ex-Community are doing to stay quit.
- Request helpful feedback from others.
When someone tells you that you are doing a good job, it is very encouraging. Sometimes when you ask for feedback from people who have a more negative or critical view, it can be very discouraging. For example, someone who genuinely wants to be supportive may say, “Well, I just quit and didn’t let myself smoke.” Obviously, this is not going to be helpful if you are struggling. If family and friends want to be helpful, tell them specifically what feedback is supportive and what would be more discouraging to you.
- Pay attention to the signals your body and brain give when stressed.
Our confidence level or sense of our capabilities can become skewed when we are anxious or under pressure. If the thought of quitting smoking brings worry, fear, or anxious energy, there are things you can do to calm those thoughts down. Techniques such as taking deep breaths, keeping your thoughts in the present, and maintaining a healthy perspective on things can be helpful here. Anxious thoughts can stem from the fear of the unknown and can only serve to just keep that whole “what if” vicious cycle going.
What do you think will help increase your self-efficacy in quitting?
