BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS AS PREDICTORS OF SELF-HANDICAPPING BEHAVIORS

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationship between the basic psychological needs related to satisfaction and frustration with various types of self-handicapping behaviors. The sample consisted of 518 adults (Mage = 35.87, SD = 10.36), 108 of which (20.8%) declared themselves as male. The instruments used were the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (BPNSFS), and the Self-Handicapping questionnaire (SH). The results show that the frustrations of the basic psychological needs, on average, correlate more strongly with selfhandicapping behaviors, than with their satisfaction. In addition, in the hierarchical regression models, frustrations of the basic psychological needs prove to be stronger predictors of self-handicapping behaviors than low satisfaction levels of the same needs. In general, competence frustration is the strongest predictor of all forms of self-handicapping behaviors, while relatedness frustration increases in significance in its relation to self-handicapping behaviors in interpersonal relationships. Autonomy frustration shows relevance in explaining all forms of self-handicapping behaviors, although slightly weaker than competence and relatedness frustration. These findings indicate the salience of the frustration of the basic psychological needs in various selfhandicapping behaviors, and provide more detailed information on the value of each basic psychological need in the tested relations.