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Overcoming Self-Handicapping: Strategies for Managing Self-Esteem and Motivation
Four steps for reducing impediments to progress in personal development
Self-handicaps are impediments to successful performance acquired or claimed by a person to protect their self-image. The impediments are motivated by uncertainty about one’s ability.
If you have ever wondered whether your efforts were less than stellar, it may have been because you unconsciously held yourself back.
Self-handicapping is a behavior that can take many forms, such as procrastination, drug or alcohol use, or even physical injury. This essay with cover the ill effects of self-handicapping and its resolution.
Examples of Self-handicapping
You might have engaged in self-handicaps, consciously or unconsciously, if you claimed you overslept before a big test in school or were late to a work evaluation because of a feigned car crash or missed an important school assignment because of lost paperwork.
The motivation behind self-handicapping is often related to protecting one’s self-esteem. When individuals face the prospect of failure, they may experience anxiety, shame, or other painful emotions.