Effects of self-esteem, evaluation modality and success contingency on goal choice: an integration of goal setting and self- handicapping theories

The current study examined the impact of self-presentation and self-esteem concerns on goal choice. Subjects who were high or low in self-esteem worked on a series of analogies and were presented with noncontingent or contingent success feedback. They were then told that their performance on an upcoming puzzle task would be either public or private. Subjects were then allowed to choose a goal level for the upcoming task. Subsequent performance on a standard test was measured. In general, males chose more difficult goals than did females and high esteem subjects chose more difficult goals than did low esteem subjects. Analyses indicated that when low esteem male subjects were given noncontingent success feedback and were led to believe that their choice of goal was public, they reported lower performance expectations and showed a tendency to choose more difficult goals than did comparison groups. No performance differences emerged across any of the experimental conditions. The results are discussed within goal setting theory and in light of previous research on self-handicapping. The implications of this investigation for future research are also considered.