Self-Handicapping

Main Argument 1: Self-Handicapping as a Proactive Attributional Strategy to Protect a Fragile but Valued Sense of Competence. The central thesis of the book is that self-handicapping, the act of creating or claiming impediments to one’s own performance, is not the self-defeating paradox it appears to be. Instead, it is a deeply rational and strategic psychological maneuver designed to control the causal attributions that one and others make about performance outcomes. Its primary goal is not to fail, but to manage the meaning of failure and success, thereby protecting a sense of competence that is highly valued yet fundamentally insecure. This strategy

Main Argument 2: The Taxonomy of Self-Handicapping: A Spectrum of Strategies from Acquired Behaviors to Claimed States. To truly grasp the strategic depth of self-handicapping, one must move beyond the general concept and delve into its specific forms. The behavior is not a single tool, but an entire toolbox, with different instruments selected for different jobs. The book, drawing on the evolution of research in the field, makes a powerful case for classifying these strategies along two critical axes. This classification scheme not only organizes the seemingly disparate examples of the behavior—from reduced practice and alcohol use to feigned anxiety

Main Argument 3: The Continuum of Self-Handicapping: From an Adaptive Coping Tactic to a Maladaptive and Enduring Personality Pattern. While the first two arguments establish what self-handicapping is and the various forms it can take, the third major argument of the book presents a sophisticated developmental and clinical perspective: self-handicapping is not a static, all-or-nothing behavior but exists on a dynamic continuum of adaptiveness. At one end of this spectrum, it can function as a relatively common, situationally-specific, and even psychologically adaptive coping tactic used by healthy individuals to navigate discrete threats to their self-esteem. At the other end, however, it can

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