Most of the images of reality on which we base our actions are really based on vicarious experience.

If self-efficacy is lacking, people tend to behave ineffectually, even though they know what to do.

As a general rule, moderate levels of arousal facilitate deployment of skills, whereas high arousal disrupts it. This is especially true of complex activities requiring intricate organization of behavior

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

Forceful actions arising from erroneous beliefs often create social effects that confirm the misbeliefs

Accomplishment is socially judged by ill defined criteria so that one has to rely on others to find out how one is doing.

Self-appraisals of efficacy are reasonably accurate, but they diverge from action because people do not know fully what they will have to do, lack information for regulating their effort, or are hindered by external factors from doing what they can