Abstract

This article addresses the perceived self-efficacy that is an important variable in predicting and controlling personal behavior. In fact, there are increasing evidences that the perceived self-efficacy exerts important effects on phobics, self-control, and achievement behavior. There, however, exists conceptual confusion between self-efficacy and outcome expectancies reflecting perceptions about contingencies between actions and outcomes. And there are questions on the causal relationship between self-efficacy and behavior, and the developmental determinants of the concept. In this views, this article reveals more definitely the uniqueness of the perceived self-efficacy in understanding personal behavior. And recent research studies were critically reviewed. As a result of reviewing on these research studies, this article proposes further research that utilizes a wider range of subjects, task, and experimental treatment that is necessary to manifest the causal relationship between self-efficacy and the behavior, and the development of self-efficacy.