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A signaling theory of self-handicapping
Yang Xiang1, Samuel J Gershman2, Tobias Gerstenberg3
1Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States of America.
Cognition
|September 19, 2025
Summary
People sometimes create obstacles for themselves, known as self-handicapping, to protect their perceived competence. This study reveals self-handicapping is more common when performance impact is low and observers are naive.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Individuals employ strategies to enhance their perceived competence.
- Self-handicapping, deliberately hindering performance, is one such strategy.
- The precise conditions and mechanisms of self-handicapping remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a formal theory explaining the optimal degree of self-handicapping.
- To investigate the performance and signaling effects of self-handicapping.
- To clarify the conditions under which self-handicapping occurs.
Main Methods:
- Development of a formal theory on self-handicapping.
- Testing theoretical predictions through two experiments.
- Participant sample size of 400 individuals.
Main Results:
- Self-handicapping is more frequent when performance outcomes are unlikely to be affected.
- It is also more prevalent when it enhances perceived competence among naive observers.
- Self-handicapping is less effective with sophisticated observers following failure.
Conclusions:
- The developed theory systematically explains self-handicapping behavior.
- Findings highlight the role of observer sophistication in self-handicapping effectiveness.
- The theory provides a foundation for developing interventions related to self-handicapping.
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