Self-Handicapping: The Paradox That Isn’t (4)
Main Argument 4: Self-Handicapping as a Form of Reality Negotiation and the Creation of a “Collaborative Illusion.” The final and most integrative argument presented in the book elevates the concept of self-handicapping from a purely intrapsychic strategy to a sophisticated socio-psychological process of reality negotiation. It argues that the meaning of any performance, and thus its impact on our self-worth, is not an objective fact but a socially constructed reality. Self-handicapping is one of the primary tools individuals use to actively shape and negotiate this reality. For this negotiation to succeed, it often requires the implicit cooperation of an audience, leading