SELF-EFFICACY IN APPRAISAL OF AMBIGUOUS STRESSFUL EVENTS

Abstract

Based on Lazarus and Folkman's ( 1984) transactional psychological stress theory, the effects of perceived self-efficacy (person resource) at different levels of ambiguity (environment variable), on appraisal of challenge during stress encounters are examined. Level of ambiguity (ambiguous vs. unambiguous) as one predictor, was manipulated to create two stressful situations. Perceived self-efficacy (measured as a continuous variable) was the second predictor. A sample of 143 psychology undergraduates participated in this mixed design quasi-experiment. Results supported the hypothesis that appraisals of challenge correlated positively with perceived self-efficacy. Despite the lack of level of ambiguity x perceived self-efficacy interaction, the practical utility of perceived self-efficacy as an important construct in predicting appraisals of challenge during stress was established. Implications and applicability of the findings are further discussed.