An investigation on the relationship between perfectionism beliefs, self-efficacy, and test anxiety with self-handicapping behaviors

Introduction: The present study sought to determine the relationship between perfectionism (positive or negative), self-efficacy, and test anxiety with self-handicapping behaviors.Method: The research method was a descriptive and correlational study. For this study, 428 students were chosen from different high schools in Shiraz as the participants, using random cluster sampling. The Perfectionism Questionnaire (developed by Terry-short), the scales of test anxiety and self-efficacy from Motivational Strategies Questionnaire (developed by Pintrich and De Groot) and the Self-handicapping Questionnaire (developed by Jones and Rhodewalt) were administered to them. In order to analyze data, the correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis were used.Results: There was a positive correlation between test-anxiety, negative perfectionism and self-handicapping. However, the correlation between self- self-efficacy, positive perfectionism and self-handicapping was found to be negative but significant. Regression analysis showed that 29% of the variance of self-handicap could be accounted with the four predictor variables.Conclusion: The relationship between self-handicapping and such characteristics as test anxiety, self-efficacy, and perfectionism is complicated. Anxious people, due to experiencing negative emotions or fear of negative evaluation, people with low self-efficacy, due to lack of self-belief and perfectionists, due to fear of failure are usually more prone to self-handicapping. Keywords: Self-handicapping Behaviors, Perfectionism Beliefs, Self-efficacy, Test Anxiety