Review of the Studies on Self-Handicapping

Since Jones & Berglas (1978) presented the conception of self-handicapping, a lot of empirical research on self-handicapping was reported. Some reseachers drew a distinction between ""acquired"" (or ""behavioral"") self-handicapping such as drug ingestion, alcohol consumption, effort reduction, and choosing a difficult task, and ""claimed"" (or ""self-reported"") self-handicapping such as verbal claim to be ill, socially anxious, test anxious, or in a bad mood. This paper reviewed these studies from three points of view : (a) the situational factors that elicit or inhibit self-handicapping, (b) the individual differences in self-handicapping behavior, (c) the effects of self-handicapping on its users and audiences