Before I delve into Sampson's collective efficacy theory I wanted to bring up the self efficacy theory of psychologist Albert Bandura. In 1977 Albert Bandura came up with the idea of self efficacy and I think it is an important part of Sampson's collective efficacy theory. What Bandura proposed is that self efficacy is one's belief in his or her ability to succeed in a particular situation. Furthermore, Bandura suggests that these beliefs are elements of how people think, behave, and feel. Bandura believed that what people think and perceive their abilities to succeed were; had an impact on how they felt, behaved, and how they thought. A person's self efficacy has a great deal to do with how an individual faces challenges, goals, and tasks. According to Bandura and research:
People with a strong sense of self-efficacy:
- View challenging problems as tasks to be mastered
- Develop deeper interest in the activities in which they participate
- Form a stronger sense of commitment to their interests and activities
- Recover quickly from setbacks and disappointments
People with a weak sense of self-efficacy:
- Avoid challenging tasks
- Believe that difficult tasks and situations are beyond their capabilities
- Focus on personal failings and negative outcomes
- Quickly lose confidence in personal abilities
I believe that in order for collective efficacy to gain the traction needed to make a difference in a neighborhood, a good number of the residents must have a strong sense of self efficacy. When considering the challenges that JR Fleming faces when he breaks into an abandoned house with the intention of making it a home for the homeless; he demonstrates his convictions as well as a very strong sense of self efficacy. We may or may not agree with his tactics; however, one can not diminish the fact that he believes passionately in what he is doing, after all J.R. stand for just righteous. When looking at the characteristics of both a strong and weak sense of self efficacy I could see how this mirrors what Sampson is trying to convey. collective efficacy is a process of initiating and transforming social ties within a neighborhood where the residents seek to achieve collective goals. The National Institute of Justice defines collective efficacy as follows, "mutual trust among neighbors combined with willingness to intervene on behalf of the common good." In my opinion without self efficacy, or in other word a belief that one individual can make a difference, collective efficacy can gain no traction. In his book, Great American City, Sampson describes collective efficacy as social cohesion (the collective part) and shared expectation for control (the efficacy part). In chapter seven he goes on to explain that social control is a collective effort and not an individual characteristic. What I am suggesting is that for a neighborhood, or even a small group of people, to make a difference they must believe that they can make a difference for the betterment of the neighborhood. Without strong self efficacy existing in some or many of the people they would not collectively be able to change. I found that in the reading the comparison between Stockholm Sweden and Chicago was interesting. There exists many similarities in the research, even though the racial differences exist between the two cities there were many commonalities as Sweden is experiencing a rise in immigration from places like Turkey and Yugoslavia. Similar data was found when surveys asks if neighbors could be trusted and if they would be willing to help each other. The real difference between the two cities was that Chicago is highly racially segregated as compared to Stockholm.
When I thought about my own neighborhood and really examined the dynamics and diversity that exists; I cam to the conclusion that I can trust my neighbors, and they would help me if I needed help. We also share a common interest in control and we all subscribe to the rules, both written and unwritten, of the neighborhood. We have a homeowners association that is regulated as well as an unwritten and for the most part unspoken set of acceptable behaviors. I think here again is an example of the strong sense of self efficacy. Even though we do not all know each other very well we all share the same interests of and have a high collective efficacy. This is a great short video on self efficacy http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wrzzbaomLmc
References:
- http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/self_efficacy.htm
- http://www.nij.gov/pubs-sum/fs000203.htm
- Sampson, R.J.; Great American City, University of Chicago Press, 2013
- https://wikispaces.psu.edu/display/PSYCH484/7.+Self-Efficacy+and+Social+Cognitive+Theories
- http://rebeccamancy.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/FrameworkVisual.jpg
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