SOCIALLY POSITIVE BEHAVIORS AS SELF-HANDICAPPING

Typical studies of self-handicapping operationalize the construct narrowly by examining obviously debilitating and undesirable behaviors. We ask whether socially positive behaviors, including helping others, might serve the same function but be under-appreciated. Using a standard self-handicapping paradigm, 105 females undertook a difficult tracing task allegedly related to intelligence. They received either success feedback on tasks that were partially unsolvable (Non contingent Success Unsolvable-NSU), no feedback on those same tasks (NF), or success feedback on solvable tasks (Noncontingent Success Solvable-NSS). As predicted, during a practice period before expecting to re-take a longer version of the task, NSU (vs. NF and NSS) participants were more likely to help a frustrated confederate completing another task and spent more time engaging with the confederate, but less time practicing. Implications are discussed for self handicapping theory and for psychopathology.