~ 40 ~ International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health 2016; 3(1): 40-42 P-ISSN: 2394-1685 E-ISSN: 2394-1693 Impact Factor (ISRA): 4.69 IJPESH 2016; 3(1): 40-42 © 2016 IJPESH www.kheljournal.com Received: 28-11-2015 Accepted: 30-12-2015 Dr. Mahender Singh Head, Department of Physical Education, Post Graduate Government College, Sector 46, Chandigarh, India Beenu Varma Research Scholar, Department of Psychology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India Correspondence Dr. Mahender Singh Head, Department of Physical Education, Post Graduate Government College, Sector 46, Chandigarh, India Self-handicapping and self-esteem: A study of gender differences among individual sports personnel Dr. Mahender Singh and Beenu Varma Abstract Aim: The aim of the present research was to study the gender differences among individual sports personnel with self-handicapping and self-esteem. Introduction: Self-handicapping is also associated with a variety of stable characteristics that may contribute to self-handicapping behavior such as low self-esteem, low perceptions of control, high self- consciousness and a belief that intelligence is a fixed trait. Self-evaluation is important because the subject is able to assess what they know, what they do not know, what they would like to know. To eradicate the self-handicapping behavior because it is associated with lower achievement self-esteem need to grow and enhance. Sample: For this purpose a data of 100 (50 males and 50 females) players aged 18-23 years was collected. The sample was selected on the basis of individual sport. Tools Used  Self-Handicapping Scale by Jones & Rhodewalt (1982)  Self-Esteem Scale by Rosenberg (1982): Results and Conclusion: It was concluded that there exist gender differences in self-handicapping and the t value was 2.840 which was significant. The t value for self-esteem among individual sports personnel was 1.996 which was significant at 0.01 level. It was also found that there was negative and significant association (r = -0.480) between self-handicapping and self-esteem among individual sports personnel. Keywords: Self-handicapping, self-esteem, sports personnel, individual games Introduction Self-handicapping refers to the undermining of one’s own performance, usually for the sake of impression management (Kolditz & Arkin, 1982) [4] . When individuals feel panic they may fail at tasks that are important to them, they often engage in practices that may actually increase the probability of failure. So, they have an excuse, other than lack of ability, for the failure. Self-handicapping has been conceptualized as a trait-like tendency (Jones & Rhodewalt, 1982) [3] and as a situationally induced behavior (Tice, 1991) [8] . Those who have described it as a trait argue that some individuals are simply more inclined to self-handicap than others and this inclination is present across situations. Self-handicapping is also associated with a variety of stable characteristics that may contribute to self-handicapping behavior such as low self- esteem, low perceptions of control, high self-consciousness and a belief that intelligence is a fixed trait. Self-esteem requires a self-evaluation process in which individuals compare their description of themselves as they are (real self) with their description of themselves as they would like to become (ideal self) and as they fear becoming (dreaded self). Self-evaluation is important because the subject is able to assess what they know, what they do not know, what they would like to know. They begin to recognize their own strengths and weaknesses and will be able to set goals that they know they can attain with the new knowledge they have about themselves. McCrea & Hirt (2001) [6] studied the effect of self-handicapping on ability judgments and self- esteem and explained that while a lot of research was done on self-handicapping, it was not clear whether global self-esteem affected ability judgments or vice versa, which was the basis of this study. Most self-handicappers apparently handicap themselves as a protective but not as an aggrandizing measure.