Self-doubt creates the impetus for learning but hinders adept use of previously established skills

In social cognitive theory, perceived self-efficacy results from diverse sources of information conveyed vicariously and through social evaluation, as well as through direct experience

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

Incongruities between self-efficacy and action may stem from misperceptions of task demands, as well as from faulty self-knowledge

Social cognitive theory rejects the dichotomous conception of self as agent and self as object. Acting on the environment and acting on oneself entail shifting the perspective of the same agent rather than reifying different selves regulating each other or transforming the self from agent to object

Because of such conjointedness, behavior that exerts no effect whatsoever on outcomes is developed and consistently performed

People with high assurance in their capabilities approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered rather than as threats to be avoided.