Is self handicapping a conscious or unconscious process

Question

It would be great if you could provide examples as well

Answer 1

Respectfully, I believe the word you are looking for is "subconscious" rather than the word "unconscious".

However, to answer your question, self-handicapping, which is where people do something that may sabotage their performance in order to provide an excuse to explain any further failure, is a subconscious strategy that stems from a lack of self-efficacy and a deep-seeded fear of failure. This lack of self-efficacy and fear of failure makes a person's self-worth become unaffected in the case of any subsequent negative outcome. One example that often lies within this realm would be procrastination, staying out late the night before a job interview, taking drugs instead of doing a hard term paper, etc.

I hope this information was able to help you in your studies!

Goodluck.