What Is Self-Handicapping in Psychology?
Self-handicapping is a psychological behavior that involves engaging in actions or choices that sabotage one's chances of success. People often resort to self-handicapping to protect their ego and avoid taking responsibility for their failures.
While it may provide short-term relief, self-handicapping can hinder personal growth and have negative long-term effects on self-esteem and motivation.
Why Do People Engage in Self-Handicapping?
The motivation behind self-handicapping lies in our innate need to protect our self-esteem. By creating external obstacles or excuses for potential failures, individuals can attribute their lack of success to these external factors rather than their own abilities or efforts. This defense mechanism shields them from feelings of inadequacy and preserves their self-image.
Self handicapping is more likely to occur when individuals feel uncertain about their ability to succeed or when their self-concept is threatened. The fear of success, imposter syndrome, social anxiety, and concerns about potential backlash can also contribute to engaging in self-handicapping behaviors.
Examples of Self-Handicapping
Self-handicapping can manifest in various forms, ranging from relatively harmless behaviors to more serious and even dangerous actions. Some common examples of self-handicapping include:
- Procrastination: Deliberately delaying tasks or putting off studying until the last minute, which reduces the chances of success.
- Substance use: Engaging in drug or alcohol abuse, using intoxication or hangover as an excuse for poor performance.
- Overcommitting: Taking on excessive responsibilities, leading to decreased performance and using overwhelm as a justification for subpar results.
- Self-sabotaging relationships: Creating conflict or withdrawing from relationships to protect oneself from potential rejection or abandonment.
- Self-fulfilling prophecies: Making negative predictions about performance and engaging in behaviors that ensure the predictions come true, reinforcing the belief in one's lack of ability.
- Making excuses: Creating early justifications for failure to detach potential failure from one's own abilities.
The Self-Serving Bias and Self-Handicapping
Self-handicapping is closely related to the self-serving bias, a cognitive bias where individuals attribute their successes to internal factors and their failures to external factors.
By engaging in self-handicapping, individuals can maintain a positive self-perception by attributing their failures to external factors, thus preserving their self-esteem.
For instance, imagine someone preparing for their first marathon. As race day approaches, they doubt their ability to finish. To protect their ego, they skip training sessions and indulge in unhealthy eating habits. When they struggle during the race, they can attribute their poor performance to being out of shape or bloated, rather than acknowledging their possible lack of ability.
Classic Research on Self-Handicapping
Researchers Stephen Berglas and Edward Jones conducted a groundbreaking study in 1978 that shed light on self-handicapping. The study involved randomly assigning participants to complete solvable or unsolvable anagrams. Afterward, all participants were given positive feedback about their performance.
Those who had been given unsolvable anagrams were significantly more likely to opt for a performance-inhibiting drug before another test, compared to those who had been given solvable anagrams. This finding suggested that individuals lacking confidence in their abilities were more inclined to choose a drug that would impair their performance, providing an external source to blame for any potential failures.
The Effects of Self-Handicapping
While self-handicapping may provide short-term protection for the ego, it can have several negative consequences in the long run. By placing barriers to success, individuals limit their chances of achieving their goals. Additionally, self-handicapping lowers expectations for oneself, both in the present and future.
Self-handicapping also leads to lower motivation and reduced incentive to strive for success. Students who engage in self-handicapping report spending less time studying and tend to have lower grades overall. They are also more likely to use alcohol as a coping mechanism before engaging in tasks. Moreover, self-handicapping can harm social relationships, as individuals who constantly make excuses are often perceived negatively by their peers.
Overcoming Self-Handicapping
Although self-handicapping may feel comforting, overcoming this behavior can lead to greater personal growth and future success. Here are some strategies to help overcome self-handicapping:
- Develop a growth mindset: Promote the belief that abilities can be improved through effort and learning. Focus on personal development and acquiring new skills.
- Build self-efficacy: Cultivate confidence in your ability to perform tasks. Analyze problems, gather information, consult multiple sources, and brainstorm solutions to become a more effective problem solver.
- Build self-esteem: Foster a positive self-image by practicing self-compassion, challenging negative thoughts, and treating yourself with kindness. Positive self-talk and affirmations can also boost self-esteem.
By adopting a growth mindset, building self-efficacy, and nurturing self-esteem, individuals can reduce the inclination to engage in self-handicapping behaviors and increase their chances of success.
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