The Mediating Role of Academic Motivation Between Social Comparison and Self-Handicapping.

Academic settings often encourage peer comparison and evaluation, shaping individuals' self-concept and influencing their actions, which can, in turn, impact their levels of academic motivation. The study investigates the relationship between self-handicapping behaviour and social comparison, with academic motivation as a mediating variable. There were 202 undergraduate and postgraduate students aged 21-24 years from Bengaluru who participated in the study. Participants completed the Self-Handicapping Scale, Social comparison, and Academic Motivation Scale. Mediation analysis was conducted to explore the relationships. The results highlighted an indirect relationship between behavioural self-handicapping and social comparison as well as direct relationship between claimed self-handicapping, suggesting that those prone to social comparisons are less likely to indulge in behavioural self-handicapping. Research findings indicate that academic motivation does not play a significant mediating role between social comparison and self-handicapping behaviour.