Using self-handicaps to protect self-esteem: young peoples' responses to evaluative threat in sport

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship between self-esteem, certainty of self-esteem and trait self-handicapping and the use of self-avowals of performance disruption. A random sample of young people for whom sport was highly self-relevant, were randomly allocated to a condition that exposed them to unexplained failure on a sport test or a non-evaluative condition. Results showed that low self-esteem individuals who experienced unexpected failure significantly reported more performance disruption as a self-handicap. Trait self-handicapping, certainty of self-esteem and gender were not predictors of self-handicapping. Recommendations for teachers and coaches are discussed.