The social-cognitive theory analysis of motivation emphasizes the role of people’s thoughts about themselves

The social-cognitive theory analysis of motivation emphasizes the role of people’s thoughts about themselves. Self-effi cacy judgments, or perceptions of one’s capability to execute behaviors, are key to motivation; self-effi cacy beliefs infl uence people’s selection of goals, effort and persistence toward achieving the goal, emotions prior to and during task performance, and success in coping with stress and negative events. In addition, much work examines processes of goal setting and the role that people’s evaluations of their own actions play in goal-directed motivation.