Self-Protective Tendencies as Moderators of Self-Handicapping Impressions

We examined observers’ impressions of hypothetical actors who succeeded or failed in the presence or absence of self-handicaps. We also investigated the moderating influence of observer individual differences related to strategic self-presentation (i.e., self-esteem and self-handicapping) on observer reactions to the self-handicapping attempts. Results indicated that low self-esteem observers, and observers who were not themselves prone to the use of self-handicaps, were most likely to be influenced by the self-handicapping attempts of others. These results indicate that an impression-management interpretation of self-handicapping must take into account observer characteristics. Results also indicated that self-handicappers were evaluated less favorably overall than were non-self-handicappers, implying that any attributional gains may be offset by generally negative impressions of those who create impediments to success.