Esteem protection or enhancement? Self-handicapping motives and attributions differ by trait self-esteem.

1991/05/01 by Dianne M. Tice · 11 citations
Psychology · #Attribution #Behavioral Health and Interventions #Cultural Differences and Values #Developmental psychology #Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports #Psychology #Self-concept #Self-enhancement #Self-esteem #Social psychology #Trait

paper · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.60.5.711

openalex publication_date 1991/05/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

Four studies sought to differentiate between self-enhancement and self-protection as motivations self-handicapping. High-self-esteem participants self-handicapped to enhance success, whereas low-self-esteem participants self-handicapped to protect against the esteem-threatening implications of failure. This was supported with 2 different forms of self-handicapping and corroborated by attributional statements regarding the implications of handicaps for performance outcomes

Citations

• The cognitive–affective crossfire: When self-consistency confronts self-enhancement.
• Control of Attributions about the Self Through Self-handicapping Strategies: The Appeal of Alcohol and the Role of Underachievement

Cited by

• The Double-Edged Sword of Self-Handicapping: Discounting, Augmentation, and the Protection and Enhancement of Self-Esteem
• Bad is Stronger than Good
• Self-Threat Magnifies the Self-Serving Bias: A Meta-Analytic Integration
• Self-evaluation bias and academic performance: Some ways and some reasons why
• Is there a universal need for positive self-regard?
• When modesty prevails: Differential favorability of self-presentation to friends and strangers.
• Accountability as a deterrent to self-enhancement: The search for mechanisms.
• Costs of Self‐Handicapping
• The Intrinsic Self and Defensiveness: Evidence that Activating the Intrinsic Self Reduces Self-Handicapping and Conformity
• The Role of Ability Judgments in Self-Handicapping
• Self-enhancement [wikipedia]