Personality traits, age and sex as predictors for self-handicapping tendency

Abstract

Self-handicapping is one of the strategies people use when facing potential failure. Paper presents new scale for assessing self-handicapping tendency as relatively stable trait, as well as its relations with personality traits, sex and age. Self-handicapping questionnaire and shortened form of Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire were administered to 230 participants of both sexes, age 18 to 59. Confirmatory factor analysis shows that model with four latent dimensions, encompassed by a higher-order latent dimension, fits the data well. Those lower order dimensions correspond to originally created scales: External handicaps in interpersonal area, Internal handicaps in interpersonal area, Internal handicaps in achievement area and External handicaps in achievement area. Results of MANCOVA shows that Neuroticism is predictor of all dimensions of self- handicapping. Impulsive sensation seeking predicts choice of external handicaps in interpersonal area, as well as internal handicaps in achievement area. Latter is predicted also by low Activity. Younger subjects show significantly higher tendency to use internal handicaps, and men in general show more self-handicapping tendency than women, except in choosing internal handicaps in achievement area, where sex shows no significant effect.Samohendikepiranje je jedna od strategija koje se koriste prilikom suocavanja sa potencijalnim neuspehom. U radu je prikazana nova skala namenjena proceni sklonosti ka samohendikepiranju kao relativno stabilne dimenzije individualnih razlika, kao i relacije ove sklonosti sa osobinama licnosti, polom i staroscu. Na uzorku od 230 ispitanika oba pola, uzrasta od 18 do 59 godina, primenjeni su Upitnik za procenu samohendikepiranja (SH) i skracena verzija Zakermanovog i Kalmanovog upitnika licnosti (ZKPQ-50-CC). Rezultati konfirmativne faktorske analize pokazuju da model koji podrazumeva cetiri latentne dimenzije nizeg reda, obuhvacene jedinstvenom dimenzijom viseg reda, pokazuje zadovoljavajuce slaganje sa empirijskim podacima. Dimenzije nizeg reda odgovaraju unapred kreiranim supskalama upitnika, a u pitanju su: Spoljasnji hendikepi u interpersonalnim odnosima, Unutrasnji hendikepi u interpersonalnim odnosima, Unutrasnji hendikepi u situacijama postignuca i Spoljasnji hendikepi u situacijama postignuca. Rezultati multivarijatne analize kovarijanse pokazali su da je Neuroticizam prediktor svih dimenzija samohendikepiranja. Impulsivno trazenje senzacija je znacajan prediktor spoljasnjih hendikepa u interpersonalnim odnosima i unutrasnjih hendikepa na planu postignuca. Nizak skor na Aktivitetu je znacajan prediktor unutrasnjih hendikepa na planu postignuca. Mladji ispitanici pokazuju izrazeniju sklonost ka koriscenju unutrasnjih hendikepa, a muskarci generalno ispoljavaju vecu sklonost ka samohendikepiranju od zena, osim u slucaju unutrasnjih hendikepa na planu postignuca, gde ne postoje polne razlike.