Show Notes
“Next time you find yourself avoiding the work you should be doing, remember: your values hold the key to success.” – Tom Carbery
Are you ever so worried about failing at something that you actively seek out other activities to do instead… and then ‘blame’ those as the reason you fail? You might be 'self-handicapping'. On this episode, UWA psychology student Tom Carbery shares his mini-podcast about self-handicapping with our host, Emma. They discuss how self-sabotaging behaviours can affect academic performance, the psychology behind maladaptive coping strategies, and the importance of self-affirmation. Tom also shares his creative process: why he chose the topic, how he aimed to reduce ATAR students’ anxiety about assessments, what’s good – and not so good – about recording inside a closet, AI tools for podcasting, and the importance of authority, evidence, and appropriate guests when sharing psychological science.
“You need to show all parts of the spectrum… the empirical evidence, the case study, as well as the more personal feel. I think that creates the best balance. Self-help advice is great, but you need to have evidence for what you’re saying.” – Tom Carbery
Episode links
Tom talks about this paper: Steven Berglas and Edward Jones (1978). Drug choice as a self-handicapping strategy in response to noncontingent success. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36: 405–417. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.36.4.405
For more information about the consequences of self-handicapping behaviour, check out the SAGE Encyclopedia of Social Psychology: https://sk.sagepub.com/ency/edvol/socialpsychology/chpt/selfhandicapping#_
SciShow Psych cover self-handicapping in this YouTube video: https://youtu.be/d1YYgY0etrU
If you or someone you know is living with anxiety or self-destructive behaviour, help is available. Connect with Beyond Blue or your local counselling services: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
Credits for this episode Episode Host: Emma Gill Special Guest: Tom Carbery Produced & Edited by: Emma Gill Audio Engineering: Matt Gill Show notes by: Emma Gill Audiogram by: Adobe Podcast
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