Abstract:

Previous findings showed that strategies rely on behavioral or claimed handicaps just before an important performance protect self-esteem subsequent to a failure, whereas trait self-handicapping appears to reduce it in the long term. Some studies also suggest that self-esteem protection function of self-handicapping depends on the initial level of self-esteem, while the other studies failed to show a systematic interaction effect of initial level of self-esteem and self-handicapping on self-esteem level subsequent to a failure. In this study, the relationship between self-esteem and trait self-handicapping, is examined, rather than the verbal or behavioral self-handicapping before an important performance.Specifically, the question that whether trait self-handicapping plays a self-protective role subsequent to a failure depending on the initial self-esteem level is addressed.In line with these purposes, a correlational study (N=335) and an experimental study (N=98) were conducted in a sample of Turkish university students.The results of the correlational study indicated that there is a negative significant correlation between trait self-handicapping and self-esteem. The results of the experimental study indicated that trait-self-handicapping buffered the effects of failure for participants who were initially high in self-esteem, but not for those who were initially low in self-esteem

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