Self-Handicapping in Physical Achievement Settings: The Contributions of Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy

Abstract

These studies examined the relationship between self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-handicapping in personally meaningful achievement settings that were high in mundane realism. Study 1 found that athletes' (N = 87) temptation to self-handicap and their self-reported likelihood of self-handicapping were negatively correlated with both general and physical self-esteem. Motives for self-handicapping (self-enhancement vs. self-protection) did not moderate either of these relationships. Study 2 examined claimed self-handicapping prior to students' (N = 142) performance of a graded physical fitness test. In a regression model, self-presentational efficacy explained significant variance in self-handicapping (δ R = .05) over and above the variance explained by general and physical self-esteem (R 2 = .14). These findings have implications for the theoretical conceptualization and prediction of self-handicapping in physical achievement settings.