Self-Efficacy Theory and Personal Responsibility

Overview

Self-efficacy is the belief in your own abilities to overcome any difficulty. In Bandura’s words, it is your “self-system.”

This assignment applies self-efficacy theory as a means to understand the motivations and influences behind one’s ability to take personal responsibility to do what is necessary to be healthy.

Preparation

Use the resources in this unit to deepen your understanding of how the self-efficacy theory and Bandura’s social cognitive theory relate to the behavior and personal responsibility of people in a public health situation.

Instructions

Examine any real-life situation related to a public health issue, choosing an issue that has affected the life someone you know, such as infectious diseases, food safety, air or water quality, unsanitary living conditions, emotional or physical abuse. Note: Ensure the confidentiality of this person by changing names and other potentially revealing information.

• Provide a brief description of the public health issue and its impact on the person’s life.
• Use self-efficacy theory to describe and explain his or behavior relative to the health issue.
• Describe how the self-efficacy theory could be used to influence desired changes in his or her behavior.
• If you found yourself in a similar situation, which elements of the self-efficacy theory would you find beneficial to consider in your own life? 

Submission Requirements

Note: To fully understand how this assignment will be graded, be sure to review the Self-Efficacy Theory and Personal Responsibility scoring guide.

In addition to the criteria in the scoring guide, you must also ensure your assignment meets the following requirements:

• Length: Your assignment must include 3–5 double-spaced pages of content, plus cover and reference pages.
• Font: Times New Roman 12 point.
• APA Formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current edition APA style and formatting. Refer to the handy APA Campus links in Resources as needed.
• Number of References: Cite at least one peer-reviewed resource.

Submit your document as an attachment to this assignment.

Note: Your instructor may also use the Writing Feedback Tool to provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click the linked resources for helpful writing information.

Resources