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INSIDE THIS ISSUE - February 25, 2010
1. A Note from the Editor
Timely Lessons from Albert Bandura
by Tracy Steen, Ph.D.
February 25, 2010
A Note from the Editor
Tracy Steen, Ph.D.
Timely Lessons from Albert Bandura
January is the month of new beginnings, but February follows as the month of beginning again.
January's "new beginnings" are those tenuous contracts that many of us make with ourselves at the start of a New Year. A list of resolutions promises a fresh start in an unblemished year.
These resolutions can vary in their outcomes from fleeting to lasting, and there are good strategies and tools to get you to the latter result. If you made a resolution this year, was it firm or fragile? Earnest or halfhearted? And now that we are in February, how are those January resolutions working out?
Actually, it doesn't matter. In fact, forget January. The important thing when it comes to our resolutions--the serious ones, that is--is not whether or not we broke them, but whether we have the strength of purpose to remake them with renewed commitment after we have fallen short. If you have read this newsletter before, you may recall from a previous issue this Inspirational Quote by Confucius about falling short of a goal:
"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall."
You undoubtedly have met people who say that they never make resolutions because they know they will inevitably break them, but setbacks are an inevitable part of any grand effort.
It's true that for some the breaking of New Year's resolutions is almost as much a tradition as the making of them; however, a focus on this annual new year/new you event can trivialize one of life's most vital opportunities, that of setting meaningful goals that will lead to the changes you want in your life, both within and without.
The making and remaking of ourselves is meant to be an ongoing, lifelong process. By setting personal goals and actively seeking the changes they represent, you maximize the opportunity to live creatively, using your inner resources to cultivate the best within you.
As an ABD you have an edge when it comes to achieving goals and effecting
major changes in your life. If you doubt this, do a bit of research on psychologist
Albert
Bandura and his social cognitive theory, specifically the concept of self-efficacy.
Albert Bandura (with his grandkids)
According to Bandura, self-efficacy is "the belief in one's capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations." In other words, self-efficacy is the belief that one is capable of achieving a goal or an outcome.
BENEFITS OF SELF-EFFICACY
• Self-efficacious individuals are more likely to challenge themselves and to set goals in the first place.
• They also recover more quickly from setbacks, and ultimately they are more likely to achieve their personal ambitions.
• In a meta-analysis of more than 100 studies, researchers found a mean correlation of +.38 between self-efficacy beliefs and actual performance outcomes (Stajkovic & Luthans, 1998).
The benefits of self-efficacy are clear, and the life of an ABD offers many opportunities to build self-efficacy through mastery experiences.
MASTERY EXPERIENCES
Bandura identified what he called Mastery Experiences as the primary source of self-efficacy, and it is here that ABD's have their edge. Success raises self-efficacy, and every ABD has experienced many years of academic success.
Graduate school can be a humbling experience, and it may be tempting for discouraged ABD's to focus on those students who appear to be savvier or more productive. However, if you find yourself comparing yourself negatively to others, then it is particularly important to take an honest account of your own mastery experiences--and by the time you have reached ABD status, there are so many.
Think
back over your academic career: obtaining a college degree, gaining acceptance
to a competitive graduate program, completing courses, learning the jargon/culture
of your field, passing comprehensive exams….The list of mastery experiences
is extensive.
As you go forward, your strong sense of self-efficacy will play a major role
in how you continue to approach your goals and challenges. Bandura and other
researchers have demonstrated that everything from psychological states to
behavior to motivation is affected by self-efficacy. It can even make the
difference in whether or not we follow up on those resolutions--New Year's
or otherwise--mentioned earlier.
Here are just a few
STRATEGIES FOR KEEPING YOUR RESOLVES
• Expect setbacks. They are almost certain to occur. So make up your mind at the outset that you won't quit at the first stumble. Just regroup and keep moving forward. Or, in the words from the start of this piece--be prepared for beginning again.
• Write it down. When you make a resolution, don't try to carry it in your head. Write it down and keep it where you see it often as a reminder.
• Track your time. Make a realistic to-do list every evening or early morning and then schedule an afternoon review of your list. Are you on track? Schedules and to-do lists only work if you make checking them a daily habit.
• Don't assume failure if you can't accomplish everything. Unexpected events will intervene, and some tasks will take more time than expected. Be realistic but consistent about reviewing the list.
• Chase only one rabbit. This will be the second (see paragraph
three) Confucius quote of the day:
"A man who chases two rabbits catches neither."
No matter how good you may think you are at it, don't try to multitask.
The research shows that we aren't nearly as good at multitasking as we think we are. In fact, we aren't really focused on two things at once when we multitask; rather, the brain is switching back and forth between the tasks. One rabbit at a time is actually the more efficient way to go.
• Troubleshoot. You know better than anyone what it is that interrupts your work flow. Is it people dropping by? Phone calls? Answering email? Internet roaming? Ten-minute breaks turning into sixty-plus? The remedy to each of those is obvious; the challenge is sticking with your resolve.
You could probably add to this list some tried and true suggestions of your own for following through on resolutions, for ABD's don't reach their level of academic success without showing resolve. Self-efficacy, which the ABD also clearly demonstrates, continues to evolve throughout life as new skills develop and new experiences add depth and understanding.
We began this piece by writing about "beginning again." That concept--starting over--must be included in your long range goals, for short term failures are likely and require a quick recovery from disappointment. Expecting a setback and making a quick turnaround to start over as necessary is what can set you apart and facilitate success.
Inspirational Quotes
The Inspirational Quotes in this issue of the ABDSG remind us to acknowledge the many mastery experiences behind us and prepare for the mastery experiences yet to come.
"People who regard themselves as highly efficacious act, think, and
feel differently from those who perceive themselves as inefficacious. They
produce their own future, rather than simply foretell it."--Albert Bandura
"Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over." -- F. Scott Fitzgerald
"Emptiness is a symptom that you are not living creatively. You either have no goal that is important enough to you, or you are not using your talents and efforts in striving toward an important goal." -- Maxwell Maltz
"You must have long term goals to keep you from being frustrated by
short term failures." -- Charles C. Noble
"Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best." --Theodore I. Rubin