Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Self-Handicapping pp 69–106Cite as

Self-Handicappers

Individual Differences in the Preference for Anticipatory, Self-Protective Acts

  • Chapter

Part of the book series: The Springer Series in Social / Clinical Psychology ((SSSC))

Abstract

In 1984, at a point that many felt was the twilight of his golf career, Lee Trevino found himself leading the PGA Championship after the first round. Trevino had not won a tournament since 1981. At the age of 44, he was leading one of the premier events in his sport, a tournament that he would win three days later. When asked to explain his resurgence he replied that he had quit practicing, at his doctor’s orders. Trevino, who had been suffering from chronic back problems, was instructed by his physician to give up his career-long habit of hitting 600 practice shots a day. Trevino cited an unanticipated benefit of his new regimen that was adding to the enjoyment he found in golf; “if I have a bad round, I say, ‘What the hell, my doctor won’t let me practice’ ” (Fowler, 1984, p. D1).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Arkin, R. M., & Baumgardner, A. H. (1985). Self-handicapping. In J. H. Harvey & G. Weary (Eds.), Attribution: Basic issues and applications (pp. 169–202). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arkin, R. M., & Shepperd, J. (1988). The role of social anxiety in self-presentational self-handicapping. Unpublished manuscript, University of Missouri, Columbia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., & Kahn, J. (1982). Obesity as a self-handicapping strategy: Don’t blame me, blame my fat. Unpublished manuscript, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. Cleveland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumgardner, A. H., Lake, E. A., & Arkin, R. M. (1985). Claiming mood as a self-handicap: The influence of spoiled and unspoiled public identities. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 11, 349–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beck, A. T., Ward, C. H., Mendelson, M., Mock, J., & Erbaugh, J. (1961). An inventory for measuring depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 4, 561–571.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berglas, S. (1986). A typology of self-handicapping alcohol abusers. In M. J. Saks & L. Saxe (Eds.), Advances in applied social psychology, Vol. 2 (pp. 29–56). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berglas, S., & Jones, E. E. (1978). Drug choice as a self-handicapping strategy in response to noncontingent success. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36, 405–417.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Briggs, S. R., Cheek, J. M., & Buss, A. H. (1980). An analysis of the Self-Monitoring Scale. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 38, 679–686.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cantor, N., Norem, J. K., Niedenthal, P. M., Langston, C. A., & Brower, A. M. (1987). Life tasks, self-concept ideals, and cognitive strategies in a life transition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 1178–1191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cattell, R. B., & Cattell, A. K. S. (1960). Test of “g”: Culture Pair. Champaign, IL: The Institute for Personality and Ability Testing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crowne, D. P., & Marlowe, D. (1964). The approval motive. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davison, J. (1985). Self-handicapping and failure: The role of contingency and attributions for failure. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Utah, Salt Lake City.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deaux, K., & Emsmiller, T. (1974). Explanations of successful performance on sex-linked tasks: What is skill for the male is luck for the female. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 29, 80–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeGree, C. E., & Snyder, C. R. (1985). Adler’s psychology (of use) today: Personal history of traumatic life events as a self-handicapping strategy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 1512–1519.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fenigstien, A., Scheier, M. F., & Buss, A. H. (1975). Public and private self-consciousness: Assessment and theory. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 43, 522–527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fowler, B. (1984, August 17). Trevino finds new life with putter. The Salt Lake Tribune, p. 10B.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibbons, F. X., & Gaeddert, W. P. (1984). Focus of attention and placebo utility. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 20, 159–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gorsuch, R. L. (1974). Factor analysis. Philadelphia: Saunders.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, J., Pyszczynski, T. & Paisley, C. (1985). Effects of extrinsic incentives on use of test anxiety as an anticipatory attributional defense: Playing it cool when the stakes are high. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 1136–1145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, R. N., & Snyder, C. R. (1986). The role of uncertain self-esteem in self-handicapping. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 451–458.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, R. N., Snyder, C. R., Higgins, R. L., & Schrag, J. L. (1986). Enhancing the prediction of self-handicapping. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1191–1199.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hewitt, J. P., & Stokes, R. (1975). Disclaimers. American Sociological Review, 40, 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, R. L., & Harris, R. N. (1988a). Strategic “alcohol” use: Drinking to self-handicap. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 6, 191–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, R. L., & Harris, R. N. (1988b). Self-handicapping social performance through “alcohol” use: The interaction of drinker history and expectancy. Manuscript submitted for publication.

    Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, R. L., & Snyder, C. R. (1989). Excuses gone awry: An analysis of self-defeating excuses. In R. Curtis (Ed.), Self-defeating behaviors: Experimental research and practical implications (pp. 99–130). New York: Plenum.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ickes, W. J., & Layden, M. A. (1978). Attributional styles. In J. H. Harvey, W. Ickes, & W. F. Kidd (Eds.), New Directions in Attribution Research (Vol. 2), pp. 119–152. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, E. E., & Berglas, S. (1978). Control of attributions about the self through self-handicapping strategies: The appeal of alcohol and the role of underachievement. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 4, 200–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, E. E., & Rhodewalt, F. (1982). The Self-Handicapping Scale. (Available from the authors at the Department of Psychology, Princeton University, or the Department of Psychology, University of Utah.)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelley, H. H. (1972). Causal schemats and the attribution process. Morristown, NJ: General Learning Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kolditz, T. A., & Arkin, R. M. (1982). An impression managment interpretation of the self-handicapping strategy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43, 492–502.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krantz, D., Glass, D., & Snyder, M. L. (1974). Helplessness, stress level, and the coronaryprone behavior pattern. Journal or Experimental Social Psychology, 10, 284–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leary, M. R., & Shepperd, J. A. (1986). Behavioral self-handicaps versus self-reported handicaps: A conceptual note. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1265–1268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lowe, C., & Medway, F. (1976). Effects of valance, severity, and relevance on responsibility and dispositional attributions. Journal of Personality, 44, 518–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayerson, N. H., & Rhodewalt, F. (1988). The role of self-protective attributions in the experience of pain. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 6, 203–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehrabian, A. (1968). Male and female scales of the tendency to achieve. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 28, 493–502.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pennebaker, J. W. (1982). The psychology of physical symptoms. New York: Springer-Verlag.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (1984). Causal explanations as a risk factor for depression: Theory and evidence. Psychological Review, 91, 347–374.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C., Semmel, A., Metalsky, G., Abramson, L., von Beyer, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (1982). The Attributional Style Questionnaire. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 6, 287–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pilkonis, P. A. (1977). The behavioral consequences of shyness. Journal of Personality. 45, 596–611.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pyszczynski, T., & Greenberg, J. (1983). Determinants of reductions in intended effort as a strategy for coping with anticipated failure. Journal of Research in Personality, 17, 412–422.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rhodewalt, F. (1984). [Self-handicapping scale: Convergent and discriminant validity]. Unpublished data. (Available from the author at the Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City.)

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhodewalt, F., & Davison, J. (1986). Self-handicapping and subsequent performance: Role of outcome valence and attributional certainty. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 7, 307–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rhodewalt, F., & Fairfield, M. L. (1989). Claimed self-handicaps and the self-handicapper: The effects of reduction in intended effort on performance. Manuscript submitted for publication. University of Utah, Salt Lake City.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhodewalt, F., Saltzman, A. T., & Wittmer, J. (1984). Self-handicapping among competitive athletes: The role of practice in self-esteem protection. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 5, 197–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rhodewalt, F., Strube, M. J., Hill, C. A., & Sansone, C., (1988). Strategic self-attribution and Type A behavior. Journal of Research in Personality, 22, 60–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, J. P., & Shaver, P. R. (1973). Measures of psychological attitudes. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, Institute for Social Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarason, I. G. (1980). Introduction to the study of test anxiety. In I. G. Sarason (Ed.), Test anxiety: Theory, research, and application (pp. 3–15). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shepperd, J., & Arkin, R. M. (1989). Self-handicapping: The mediating roles of public self-consciousness and task importance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 15, 252–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, T. W., Snyder, C. R., & Handelsman, M. M. (1982). On the self-serving function of an academic wooden leg: Test anxiety as a self-handicapping strategy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 314–321.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, T. W., Snyder, C. R., & Perkins, S. C. (1983). The self-serving function of hypochondriacal complaints: Physical symptoms as self-handicapping strategies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 787–797.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, C. R., & Higgins, R. L. (1988a). Excuses: Their effective role in the negotiation of reality. Psychological Bulletin, 104, 23–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, C. R., & Higgins, R. L. (1988b). From making to being the excuse: An analysis of deception and verbal/nonverbal issues. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 12, 237–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, C. R., & Smith, T. W. (1982). Symptoms as self-handicapping strategies: The virtues of old wine in a new bottle. In G. Weary & H. L. Mirels (Eds.), Integrations of clinical and social psychology (pp. 104–127). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, C. R., & Higgins, R. L., & Stucky, R. J. (1983). Excuses: Masquerades in search of grace. New York: Wiley-Interscience.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, C. R., Ford, C. E., & Hunt, H. A. (1985, August). Excuse-making: A look at sex differences. Paper presented at the American Psychological Association Convention, Los Angeles.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, C. R., Smith, T. W., Augelli, R. W., & Ingram, R. E. (1985). On the self-serving function of social anxiety: Shyness as a self-handicapping strategy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 970–980.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, M. (1974). Self-monitoring of expressive behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 30, 237–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strube, M. J. (1985). An analysis of the Self-Handicapping Scale. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 7, 211–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strube, M. J., & Roemmele, L. A. (1985). Self-enhancement, self-assessment, and self-evaluative task choice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 981, 993.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tice, D. M., & Baumeister, R. F., (1984, May). Self-handicapping, self-esteem, and self-presentation. Paper presented at the meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trope, Y. (1980). Self-assessment, self-enhancement, and task preference. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 16, 116–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tucker, J. A., Vuchinich, R. E., & Sobell, M. (1981). Alcohol consumption as a self-handicapping strategy. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 90, 220–230.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weidner, G. (1980). Self-handicapping following learned helplessness treatment and the Type A coronary-prone behavior pattern. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 24, 319–325.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112, USA

    Frederick Rhodewalt

Authors
  1. Frederick Rhodewalt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1990 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Rhodewalt, F. (1990). Self-Handicappers. In: Self-Handicapping. The Springer Series in Social / Clinical Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0861-2_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0861-2_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-0863-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-0861-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation