Trait self-esteem and claimed self-handicapping motives in sports situations |
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| Authors: | Lucie Finez Sophie Berjot Elisabeth Rosnet Christena Cleveland Dianne M Tice |
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| Institution: | 1. Laboratoire Socio-Psychologie et Management du Sport, Department of Psychology , University of Burgundy , France lucie.finez@u-bourgogne.fr;3. Laboratoire Cognition Santé Socialisation, EA6291, Department of Psychology , University of Reims Champagne Ardenne , France;4. INSEP, France National Institute of Sport , Paris , France;5. St. Catherine University , Saint Paul , MN , USA;6. Department of Psychology , Florida State University , Tallahassee , FL , USA |
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| Abstract: | Abstract We examined the relationship between physical self-esteem and claimed self-handicapping among athletes by taking motives into consideration. In Study 1, 99 athletes were asked to report their tendency to engage in claimed self-handicapping for self-protective and self-enhancement motives (trait measures). Low self-esteem athletes reported a higher tendency to engage in claimed self-handicapping for these two motives compared with high self-esteem athletes. Neither low nor high self-esteem athletes reported a preference for one motive over the other. In Study 2, 107 athletes participated in a test that was ostensibly designed to assess high physical abilities – and thus to encourage self-handicapping for self-enhancement motives (success-meaningful condition) – or to assess low physical abilities, and thus to encourage self-handicapping for self-protective motives (failure-meaningful condition). Before starting the test, athletes were given the opportunity to claim handicaps that could impair their performance. Low self-esteem athletes claimed more handicaps than high self-esteem athletes in both conditions. Findings suggest that low physical self-esteem athletes engage more in claimed handicapping regardless of motives, relative to high physical self-esteem athletes. |
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| Keywords: | self-protection self-enhancement motivation threat athletes |
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