Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Personality and the Influence of Positive and Negative Feedback on Self-Handicapping

Granath, Jack LU and Sandqvist, Simon LU (2026) PSYK12 20261
Department of Psychology
Abstract
Self-handicapping is a poorly understood defense strategy that plausibly undermines a person's chance of success. The present study examines relations between self-handicapping and the HEXACO-personality traits; namely, Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Xtraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness. An aim is to shed new light on why some people are more prone to debilitating self-handicapping behaviors than others. Twenty-four participants completed the HEXACO-personality inventory and five arithmetic tests varying in difficulty with pseudo-randomized (false) feedback given to each participant after each arithmetic test. Self-handicapping was operationalized as participants' choice to rest, instead of practice, between each... (More)
Self-handicapping is a poorly understood defense strategy that plausibly undermines a person's chance of success. The present study examines relations between self-handicapping and the HEXACO-personality traits; namely, Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Xtraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness. An aim is to shed new light on why some people are more prone to debilitating self-handicapping behaviors than others. Twenty-four participants completed the HEXACO-personality inventory and five arithmetic tests varying in difficulty with pseudo-randomized (false) feedback given to each participant after each arithmetic test. Self-handicapping was operationalized as participants' choice to rest, instead of practice, between each test. The data were analyzed using binomial logistic regression which revealed significant associations for Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Openness, and Emotionality as predictors of practice. The overall model for all 6 traits displayed reasonable predictive ability, where high scorers on Emotionality, Conscientiousness and Openness were less likely to self-handicap, while high scorers of Agreeableness were more likely to self-handicap. A closer examination of the significant traits was conducted at the facet level. Results partly align with previous research, but further research is recommended on the subject. Limitations, conclusions, and further research are discussed for potential implementation. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Självhandikappning är en försvarsstrategi som är relativt outforskad och sannolikt
underminerar en persons möjlighet att lyckas. Den aktuella studien undersöker samband
mellan självhandikappning och HEXACO-personlighetsdragen; Honesty-Humility,
Emotionality, Xtraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, och Openness. Ett mål med
studien var att belysa varför vissa personer är mer benägna än andra att utföra försvagande självhandikappande beteenden. Tjugofyra deltagare utförde
HEXACO-personlighetsmätningen och fem aritmetik-tester i varierande svårighetsgrad.
Pseudo-randomiserad (falsk) feedback gavs till varje deltagare efter varje test.
Självhandikappande operationaliserades som deltagarnas val att vila, istället för att öva... (More)
Självhandikappning är en försvarsstrategi som är relativt outforskad och sannolikt
underminerar en persons möjlighet att lyckas. Den aktuella studien undersöker samband
mellan självhandikappning och HEXACO-personlighetsdragen; Honesty-Humility,
Emotionality, Xtraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, och Openness. Ett mål med
studien var att belysa varför vissa personer är mer benägna än andra att utföra försvagande självhandikappande beteenden. Tjugofyra deltagare utförde
HEXACO-personlighetsmätningen och fem aritmetik-tester i varierande svårighetsgrad.
Pseudo-randomiserad (falsk) feedback gavs till varje deltagare efter varje test.
Självhandikappande operationaliserades som deltagarnas val att vila, istället för att öva mellan varje test. Datan analyserades genom en binomial logistisk regression där
Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Openness och Emotionality visade signifikanta
associationer som prediktorer för övning. Den övergripande modellen för alla sex
personlighetsdragen visade en rimlig prediktiv förmåga, där höga nivåer av Emotionality, Conscientiousness, och Openness visade lägre risk för self-handicapping, medan höga nivåer av Agreeableness visade ökad risk för self-handicapping. En närmare undersökning på de signifikanta personlighetsdragen utfördes på facett-nivå. Resultaten ligger delvis i linje med tidigare forskning men mer forskning kring ämnet rekommenderas. Begränsningar, slutsatser och framtida forskning diskuteras för potentiella implikationer från resultaten. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Granath, Jack LU and Sandqvist, Simon LU
supervisor
organization
course
PSYK12 20261
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Self-handicapping, Personality, HEXACO, Feedback, Conscientiousness, Emotionality, Honesty-Humility, Självhandikappning, Personlighet
language
English
id
9238584
date added to LUP
2026-06-18 14:07:11
date last changed
2026-06-18 14:07:11
@misc{9238584,
  abstract     = {{Self-handicapping is a poorly understood defense strategy that plausibly undermines a person's chance of success. The present study examines relations between self-handicapping and the HEXACO-personality traits; namely, Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Xtraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness. An aim is to shed new light on why some people are more prone to debilitating self-handicapping behaviors than others. Twenty-four participants completed the HEXACO-personality inventory and five arithmetic tests varying in difficulty with pseudo-randomized (false) feedback given to each participant after each arithmetic test. Self-handicapping was operationalized as participants' choice to rest, instead of practice, between each test. The data were analyzed using binomial logistic regression which revealed significant associations for Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Openness, and Emotionality as predictors of practice. The overall model for all 6 traits displayed reasonable predictive ability, where high scorers on Emotionality, Conscientiousness and Openness were less likely to self-handicap, while high scorers of Agreeableness were more likely to self-handicap. A closer examination of the significant traits was conducted at the facet level. Results partly align with previous research, but further research is recommended on the subject. Limitations, conclusions, and further research are discussed for potential implementation.}},
  author       = {{Granath, Jack and Sandqvist, Simon}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Personality and the Influence of Positive and Negative Feedback on Self-Handicapping}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}