Self-handicapping and defensive pessimism: Exploring a model of predictors and outcomes from a self-protection perspective

Journal article

The present study is centrally concerned with self-handicapping and defensive pessimism (comprising defensive expectations and reflectivity), the factors that predict these strategies, and the associations between these strategies and a variety of academic outcomes. Major findings are that task orientation negatively predicts both self-handicapping and defensive expectations and positively predicts reflectivity; uncertain personal control positively predicts defensive expectations, and to a lesser extent, self-handicapping; and an external attributional orientation is positively associated with self-handicapping, and to a lesser extent, defensive expectations. Both self-handicapping and defensive expectations are negatively associated with self-regulation and persistence, whereas reflectivity is positively associated with these outcomes. Students high in self-handicapping received lower end-of-year grades than did students low in self-handicapping and were less likely to be in attendance 1 year later.

Authors: Martin, A; Marsh, H; Debus, R

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
• Volume: 93
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 87-102
• Publication date: 2001-03-01
• DOI: 10.1037//002-0663.93.1.87
• ISSN: 0022-0663
• Language: English