Why do we self-handicap?

Put simply, self-handicappers are their own worst enemies. They select alternatives that impair future performance (Berglas & Jones, 1978), and that specifically impact performance that they value in some way (Zuckerman, Keiffer, & Knee, 1998). Self-handicapping helps us avoid failure, or concerns about failure and success, and often does so with excuses that can be hard to dispute and challenging to unravel.

For instance, when a student is called upon to provide evidence of an ability about which they are uncertain, the student may choose to come up with a number of ways to avoid the situation and preserve their self-esteem. They may prepare a number of excuses as to why they cannot perform the task or why they cannot attend the class or meeting, they may become physically ill with flu-like symptoms, or they may invent a crisis that takes them away from having to deal with the situation. Or they may prepare a credible lie to avoid the truth.

Here are some behaviours students may engage in: 

• procrastination
• drug or alcohol use
• lack of sleep due to cramming for an exam
• over-involvement with friends who have problems
• family crisis (the problem was there before but now is really a problem even though nothing has really changed)
• cleaning their living space before the exam to avoid studying
• long term anxiety that causes the student to seek help at the last minute

Focusing on why we want to avoid a situation and valuing one’s own ongoing effort – rather than external perspectives and demands – can help minimize these self-sabotaging behaviours.