The Effects of the Need for Social Approval on the Relationship between Perfectionism, Academic Self-Handicapping, and Self-Efficacy

Authors : Merve Ebrar Karakaya, Gülten Ünal

Pages : 659-674

Doi:10.32600/huefd.1143283

View : 97 | Download : 101

Publication Date : 2023-12-27

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Examining the need for social approval is critical to understand the effects of the social environment on individuals’ beliefs about themselves and perceptions of their abilities. This study aims to provide deep insight into the role and the effect of the need for social approval on the relationship between self-efficacy and perfectionism. Likewise, it aims to examine the role and the effect of the need for social approval on the relationship between self-efficacy and academic self-handicapping. In this study, academic self-handicapping, perfectionism, and the need for social approval, which are individually linked to self-efficacy, are examined in a single comprehensive framework. Participants were 121 university students studying at different universities who completed an online survey involving measures of academic self-handicapping, perfectionism, general self-efficacy, and reactions to social situations. They were manipulated by either receiving positive or negative feedback related to the need for social approval or receiving no feedback. The obtained data were tested with Pearson correlation analysis, one-way ANOVA, and moderation analysis. The findings showed that there was no significant difference between the self-efficacy scores of the groups. Self-efficacy was found to be significantly and negatively correlated with academic self-handicapping and perfectionism. The moderation analysis revealed that the relationship between academic self-handicapping and self-efficacy was only significant when participants received positive feedback or did not receive any feedback related to social approval. Contrary to expectations, the need for social approval was not found to have a moderating role in the relationship between perfectionism and self-efficacy. The current study contributes to the literature in terms of investigating the need for social approval in an experimental setting and showing that it plays a moderator role in the relationship between academic self-handicapping and self-efficacy.
Keywords : Öz yeterlik, sosyal onay ihtiyacı, kendini engelleme, akademik kendini engelleme, mükemmeliyetçilik