Self-handicapping is when someone tries to protect their self-esteem by making excuses for why they might fail before they even try (Jones & Berglas, 1978). There are two ways people self-handicap: by saying they have some kind of problem that will make it hard for them to do well, or by doing things that will actually make it harder for them to succeed (Klöppel, 2019). For example, they might not try their best or they might do things that will make them feel worse, like drinking alcohol or setting goals that are impossible to achieve. It’s hard to measure how often people do this because they might not want to admit it, but there is a test called the Self-Handicapping Scale (Rhodewalt, 1990) that is most prominently used by researchers.
Jones, E. E., & Berglas, S. (1978). Control of attributions about the self-through self-handicapping strategies: The appeal of alcohol and the use of underachievement. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 4, 200206.
Klöppel, Y-P. (2019). In D. Hackfort, R. J. Schinke, & B. Strauss (Eds.), Dictionary of sport psychology: Sport, exercise, and performing arts. Academic Press.
Rhodewalt, F. (1990). Self-handicappers: Individual differences in the preference for anticipatory self-protective acts. In R. L. Higgins, C. R. Snyder, & S. Berglas (Eds.), Self- handicapping: The paradox that isn’t? (pp. 69106). New York: Plenum Press.
