Definition
Self-handicapping is a self-protective strategy in which a person identifies or creates obstacles to performance in order to generate excuses for possible failure; doing so protects the individual’s positive self-views by allowing them to discount attributions to lack of ability. Self-handicapping can also be used to augment attributions to ability following success.
Introduction
Self-handicapping is a defensive, often self-defeating strategy that people adopt to protect or even enhance their positive self-images (Rhodewalt & Tragakis, 2012). Self-handicapping occurs when someone identifies or creates obstacles to performance in order to manage attributions for their performance in self-serving ways. For example, a student might stay out late socializing instead of studying the night before an exam (Jones & Berglas, 1978). Self-handicappers are willing to trade the quality of performance for immediate attributional benefits to their self-views. A poor exam performance can...
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References
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Wang, W. (2016). Self-Handicapping. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1175-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1175-1
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