Social cognitive theory

Abstract

The theory of social development (Bandura, 1991, 2001) centers on how people cognitively perceive their social experiences and how these cognitive perceptions influence their behaviors and their development. Individuals largely process information from their social experiences. Social development theory forms the crux of the social cognitive theory, of which self-efficacy is a key component. Should a sport manager have a negative self-perception about a particular situation, while lacking the ability to perform well in that situation, then their self-perceptions detour them from pursuing and accomplishing that particular activity. In turn, if a sport manager has a positive self-perception about a situation, they are more likely to believe they can successfully attempt and complete an activity; thus, they put forth the effort and are more likely to succeed. For current and future sport management leaders, having an awareness of the concept of self-efficacy is the first step towards success.