The Role of Ability Judgments in Self-Handicapping
- 1 October 2001
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
- Vol. 27 (10), 1378-1389
- https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672012710013
Abstract
This research investigated whether self-handicapping preserves specific conceptions of ability in a particular domain despite poor performance. Reports of preparatory behaviors and stress among introductory psychology students were measured prior to an exam and subsequent performance, attributions for the performance, and measures of global self-esteem and specific self-conceptions were measured after the exam. Results indicated that high self-handicappers reported reduced effort and more stress prior to the exam, performed worse on the exam, and made different attributions following the exam than did low self-handicappers. Although reported self-handicapping was detrimental to performance, male HSH individuals maintained positive conceptions of specific ability in psychology in spite of poorer performance. Moreover, the results of path analyses indicated that it was these changes in specific ability beliefs that mediated changes in global self-esteem. These findings suggest that the primary motivation underlying self-handicapping may be to protect conceptions of ability in a specific domain, which thereby serves to protect global self-esteem.This publication has 25 references indexed in Scilit:
- Public Self-Focus and Sex Differences in Behavioral Self-Handicapping: Does Increasing Self-Threat Still Make it “Just a Man’s Game?”Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2000
- Self-Handicapping in the Classroom: The Effects of Claimed Self-Handicaps on Responses to Academic FailureBasic and Applied Social Psychology, 1995
- Implications of Self-Handicapping Strategies for Academic Achievement: A ReconceptualizationThe Journal of Social Psychology, 1992
- Self-Protective Tendencies as Moderators of Self-Handicapping ImpressionsBasic and Applied Social Psychology, 1991
- From self-conceptions to self-worth: On the sources and structure of global self-esteem.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1989
- Performance Attributions and Changes in Self-Esteem Following Self-Handicapping with Alcohol ConsumptionJournal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 1988
- Behavioral self-handicaps versus self-reported handicaps: A conceptual note.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1986
- An Analysis of the Self-Handicapping ScaleBasic and Applied Social Psychology, 1986
- Ability attribution as a result of variable effort and achievement motivation.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1980
- Control of Attributions about the Self Through Self-handicapping Strategies: The Appeal of Alcohol and the Role of UnderachievementPersonality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 1978