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self esteem
You create your own excuses before you even start.
Self-handicapping is the strategy of creating obstacles to performance to protect your self-esteem if you happen to fail.
In a 1978 study, participants chose to consume a drug that would likely impede their performance on a test because they were anxious about their ability. It is easier to blame the obstacle than to face a lack of skill.
Failing is easier when you ensure it was never your fault.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Berglas and Jones, 1978
- What the check found
- The definition is standard psychological theory. The attribution to the 1978 study is correct in external literature, though not explicitly confirmed by the provided excerpt.
- Confidence
- Solid, with limits
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.