Indeed there are many competent people who are plagued by a sense of inefficacy, and many less competent ones who remain unperturbed by impending threats because they are self-assured of their coping capabilities

People who are insecure about themselves will avoid social comparisons that are potentially threatening to their self-esteem

Stringent standards of self-evaluation [can] make otherwise objective successes seem to be personal failures

How children learn to use diverse sources of efficacy information in developing a stable and accurate sense of personal efficacy is a matter of considerable interest

People judge their capabilities partly by comparing their performances with those of others

The performances of others are often selected as standards for self-improvement of abilities

Once established, reputations do not easily change.