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

Year 2023, , 659 - 674, 27.12.2023

Merve Ebrar Karakaya , Gülten Ünal

https://doi.org/10.32600/huefd.1143283

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

Self-efficacy, the need for social approval, self-handicapping, academic self-handicapping, perfectionism

Sosyal Onay İhtiyacının Mükemmeliyetçilik, Akademik Kendini Engelleme ve Öz-Yeterlik Arasındaki İlişkiye Etkileri

Abstract

Sosyal onay ihtiyacını incelemek, sosyal çevrenin bireylerin kendileri hakkındaki inançları ve genel yetkinlikleri ve yeteneklerine ilişkin algıları üzerindeki etkilerini anlamak için kritik öneme sahiptir. Bu çalışma sosyal onay ihtiyacının öz-yeterlik ve mükemmeliyetçilik arasındaki ilişkideki rolü ve etkisine dair bir içgörü sağlamayı amaçlamaktadır. Aynı şekilde, sosyal onay ihtiyacının öz-yeterlik ve akademik kendini engelleme arasındaki ilişkideki rolünü ve etkisini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu çalışmada bireysel olarak öz-yeterlik ile bağlantılı olan akademik kendini engelleme, mükemmeliyetçilik ve sosyal onay ihtiyacı tek bir kapsamlı çerçevede incelenmiştir. Katılımcılar, akademik kendini engelleme, mükemmeliyetçilik, genel öz-yeterlik ve sosyal durumlara verilen tepkileri ölçen çevrimiçi bir anketi dolduran farklı üniversitelerde okuyan 121 üniversite öğrencisidir. Katılımcılara, sosyal onay ihtiyacı ile ilgili olumlu ya da olumsuz geri bildirim verilmiş veya herhangi bir geri bildirim verilmemiştir. Elde edilen veriler, Pearson korelasyon analizi, tek yönlü ANOVA ve düzenleyici değişken analizi ile test edilmiştir. Sonuçlar, üç grup arasında öz-yeterlik düzeyleri açısından anlamlı bir fark olmadığını göstermiştir. Öz-yeterliğin hem mükemmeliyetçilik hem de akademik kendini engelleme ile anlamlı derecede olumsuz yönde ilişkili olduğu bulunmuştur. Düzenleyici değişken analizi, sosyal onay ihtiyacının olumlu geri bildirim ve kontrol koşullarının akademik kendini engelleme ile öz-yeterlik arasındaki negatif ilişkide düzenleyici rolü olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Ancak beklenenin aksine, sosyal onay ihtiyacının mükemmeliyetçilik ile öz-yeterlik arasındaki ilişkide düzenleyici bir rolü bulunamamıştır. Mevcut çalışma, sosyal onay ihtiyacının deneysel bir düzende ele alınması ve akademik kendini engelleme ile öz yeterlik arasındaki ilişkide düzenleyici bir rol oynadığını göstermesi açısından literatüre katkı sağlamaktadır.

Keywords

Öz-yeterlik, sosyal onay ihtiyacı, kendini engelleme, akademik kendini engelleme, mükemmeliyetçilik

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