To grant thought causal efficacy is not to invoke a disembodied mental state

Self-efficacy is the belief in one's capabilities to organize and execute the sources of action required to manage prospective situations.

People not only gain understanding through reflection, they evaluate and alter their own thinking.

The presence of many interacting influences, including the attainments of others, create further leeway in how one's performances and outcomes are cognitively appraised

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

Except for events that carry great weight, it is not experience per se, but how they match expectations, that governs their emotional impact

Ironically, it is the talented who have high aspirations, which are possible but exceedingly difficult to realize, who are especially vulnerable to self-dissatisfaction despite notable achievements.