Self-belief: thinking positively about yourself and your abilities

What is Self-Belief?

Self-belief (or self-efficacy) is a person’s belief in their ability to complete tasks and to achieve their goals (Bandura, 1995).

• Judging yourself to be capable of success increases your chances of actual success. 
• Judging yourself as not capable of success reduces the chance of success.

This animation from The Education Hub introduces the concept of self-efficacy, describing what it is, why it's important

What self-belief is not

Self-belief means that you should have enough self-confidence to change, but not over-estimate your abilities, as that could become a fixed mindset attitude.

You should be willing to grow and adapt but still have ideas about your strengths and weaknesses so that you can work on the weaker areas.

Adapted from: University of Queensland (2019) Self-esteem and self-confidence. Available at: https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/student-support/health-and-wellbeing/self-help-resources/self-esteem-and-self-confidence (Accessed: 14 May 2020)