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emotion
You create obstacles to explain your potential failure.
A 1978 experiment showed that people who are uncertain about their performance will intentionally choose to hinder their own ability to succeed, such as by choosing a performance-impairing drug.
Self-handicapping allows individuals to attribute failure to the obstacle they created rather than their own lack of competence. If they succeed despite the obstacle, their sense of ability is further bolstered.
When you avoid preparation, you are protecting your ego more than you are avoiding the task.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Berglas and Jones, 1978, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- What the check found
- The study is a classic in psychology and is correctly attributed to Berglas and Jones (1978). The description of the self-handicapping mechanism accurately reflects the authors' original thesis.
- Confidence
- Well replicated
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.