Everyday Heroics

She did not wear a cape. She showed up. Psychological research shows that self-efficacy, the belief in one’s ability to act effectively, predicts persistence, motivation, and resilience under pressure (Bandura 3).

When people act together toward shared goals, collective efficacy strengthens cooperation and increases the likelihood of positive change (Sampson et al. 918). They lifted together, spoke up together, and moved forward without permission. Freedom did not arrive as a miracle. It grew from ordinary courage practiced daily.

Works Cited (MLA)
Bandura, Albert. “Self-Efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change.” Psychological Review, vol. 84, no. 2, 1977, pp. 191–215.
Sampson, Robert J., et al. “Neighborhoods and Violent Crime: A Multilevel Study of Collective Efficacy.” Science, vol. 277, no. 5328, 1997, pp. 918–924.