The theory of general self-efficacy is still in the early stages of development. There are few scales designed to measure increments of general self-efficacy, and the research on these scales and general self-efficacy is only slowly increasing. The challenge of general self-efficacy theory is that the construct is global unlike Bandura's 1977 theory of specific self-efficacy. Self-efficacy began as a domain-rooted construct and was easily operationalized and studied. General self-efficacy is less developed and its potential has yet to be fully realized. The purpose of this article was to summarize the literature on self-efficacy, both in its specific form and in its general form. The definitions of specific and general self-efficacy are made clear as well as their conceptualized relationship.
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