Meta self-efficacy: Conceptual foundations and psychometric validation

Abstract Self-efficacy refers to individuals’ beliefs in their capacities to achieve goals in specific tasks or domains. It stems from four sources: mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, persuasion, and affective or physiological states. However, the extent to which self-efficacy beliefs develop may depend on how effectively individuals can draw on their experiences related to a given source. This capacity, however, has not yet been defined or measured. In this paper, we introduce and validate the concept of meta self-efficacy—one’s ability to recognize, adapt, and leverage the four sources of self-efficacy across contexts. We developed the meta self-efficacy scale (MSES) with subdimensions reflecting the four sources and tested its psychometric properties across three samples (total N = 1303), including a representative sample of young employees. We found support for a four-factor structure aligned with the four classic self-efficacy sources and a general overarching factor. As predicted, the MSES correlated more strongly with context-specific self-efficacy (e.g., work self-efficacy) than with general self-efficacy and was associated with occupational well-being indicators, including: job affect, job stress, and work capabilities. Latent profile analysis showed no profiles, supporting meta self-efficacy as a unified construct. These findings introduce meta self-efficacy as a valid and theory-grounded concept, offering a foundation to subsequently explore how enhancing meta self-efficacy may improve specific self-efficacy and adaptive outcomes across domains, such as dimensions of well-being.