Self Efficacy Theory Essay

The Role of Self-Efficacy in Eating Disorders

Self-Efficacy theory was conceptualized by Albert Bandura in 1994 and still to this day has played a part in many psychological disorders, such as depression and anxiety. The purpose of my research is learn the role, if any, that self-efficacy plays in one acquiring and or recovering from an eating disorder that include anorexia, bulimia nervosa, along with treating obesity by exploring published works that are related to self-efficacy and eating disorders.

The theory of self- efficacy is the belief that a person has for themselves of how capable they are in confronting a given situation. Alberto Bandura, the creator of the theory, states that it has a variety of influences that can either help

The majority of the articles I came across when searching for a topic related to eating disorders were largely associated to self-esteem. Self-esteem is how a person values, likes, and views their own personal worth. Although I feel that self-efficacy, a person’s beliefs in their capabilities, can also help understand how one can overcome and or predict an eating disorders. The process in which how self-esteem and self-efficacy are obtained, in my opinion, are very similar. Both are learned behaviors that we acquire though interactions and personal experiences with others and or situational through models and verbal interactions. However, self-efficacy, in my opinion, should also be included in understanding eating disorders since it can help understand on how one believes they are capable in overcoming their emotional struggles from within or in how they believe in their distorted vision of their own

Anorexia nervosa is a disease in where a person drastically restricts their caloric intake to practically nothing as a method of weight control. They often view themselves in a heavier distorted version as well as fear of gaining weight. Those that are living with anorexia develop eating rituals along with excessive exercise. Their personality consist of being rigid, anxious, perfectionist, and obsessed with order. The key word, in my opinion, is perfectionist, they set high standards for themselves that it literally becomes an obsession to maintain that standard such as restricted eating. This may be related to high sense of self efficacy since they believe they are capable in maintaining those standards set by themselves. Although, I also feel that they may also have a weak sense of self-efficacy since they anticipate the fear of gaining weight. This envision of what they would consider the worst fear is similar to how the cognitive process of self-efficacy is invoked. Personally, I feel that anorexia nervosa may be associated to a combination of both strong and weak self-efficacy, but there does not seem to be any research supporting this theory. Perhaps this may be a possible area in future research in diagnosing an eating