Investigating the mediating role of self-differentiation and self-compassion in the relationship between perfectionism and self-handicapping in adolescents

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of self-differentiation and self-compassion in the relationship between perfectionism and self-handicapping in adolescents. The research method is correlational with a structural equation modeling approach. The statistical population of the study consisted of all female students of the second high school in Zahedan (approximately 1321 adolescents). The sample size was selected using the Morgan table and was 297 adolescents were selected via convenience sampling method. To collect data, the self-differentiation questionnaires of Drake et al. (2015), self-handicapping of Jones and Rhodewalt (1982), perfectionism of Hewitt and Flett (1991), and the self-compassion questionnaire of Raes et al. (2011) were used. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used with SPSS23 software and structural equations with PLS software. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between self-differentiation and self-compassion with perfectionism and self-handicapping (p< .001). The mediating role of self-differentiation and self-compassion was significant in the relationship between perfectionism and academic self-handicapping (p< .001). Perfectionism plays a significant role in increasing self-handicapping in adolescents. Also, self-differentiation and self-compassion plays a role in reducing self-handicapping in adolescents (p< .001).