Self_Handicapping

Self Handicapping When preparing for competition, athletes may be highly motivated to protect their self-esteem or public image from the negative implications of a possible failure. One way to do so is by self-handicapping. (Defensive Mechanism) When athletes skip practice, fail to put forth a full effort in practice, stay up late before competitions or otherwise reduce effort so that if their subsequent performance is low, their antics will be seen as the cause of poor performance rather than lack of ability. (Self-handicapping) When a performance opportunity poses a threat to athletes' self-esteem or public image, those who rely on self-handicapping will withdraw effort from preparation or create impediments to their own success. (Minimal Effort) Experimental social psychologists have emphasized the potential benefits of self-handicapping, including the reduction of anxiety, protection of self-esteem, augmenting of ability attributions, and enhancement of internal motivation. (Positive Technique') Dispositional self-handicapping is, in part, a characteristic response to evaluation apprehension or the feelings of distraction, nervousness, self-handicapping, performance, self-esteem, positive, effort, dispositional, preparation, poor, negative, anxiety, two, somatic, samples, research, public, practice, outcomes, mental, low, image, conceived, cognitive, better, benefits, athletes, academic, ability, worry, withdraw, while, way, visualization, undergraduates, underachievement, under