Using a critical-career events framework to describe the socialization process in academe, a model was developed which relates how the experiencing of critical-career events affects individuals' judgments of their research self-efficacy which, in turn, affects their scholarly productivity. A sample of 206 full-time associate professors from 7 different schools participated in the study and 126 cases were eventually analyzed. The study found inconclusive evidence that critical-career events or self-esteem directly influenced the development of self-efficacy or achievement; however, the following relationships were found to be significant to self-esteem and self-efficacy: (1) mentoring; (2) growth opportunities; and (3) an award system; both growth opportunities and self-efficacy were significant to achievement. It is concluded that the study led to the development of inferences and might ultimately lead to interventions designed to enhance the education and scholastic career development of tomorrow's leaders. (GLR)