Counselling
Success Orientation vs Fear of Failure
Are you motivated primarily by success or failure avoidance?
Research suggests that having a success orientation, rather than a focus on avoiding failure, provides a greater chance of successful study outcomes and greater resilience in the face of difficulties. (This article draws on the research of Andrew Martin and Herbert Marsh of the SELF Research Centre, University of Western Sydney)
Success Orientation
What does success orientation look like? Success orientation is characterized by optimism, energy and drive focused on achieving positive outcomes (not avoiding negative ones), resilience to setback, and a focus on strengths rather than deficits. (Martin & Marsh 2003, p34).
Failure Avoidance
Failure avoidance can take several different forms. These are described below (in the order in which they may be detrimental to study outcomes - from least to most detrimental).
Some students deal with their fear of failure by working hard on their study. This type of student has been called the 'overstriver' (Martin & Marsh 2003). This approach to study can be very successful, but the fact that fear of failure underpins much of what the 'overstriver' does means that many of the factors associated with fear of failure 'come along for the ride' - these issues can include anxiety, poor or variable self-esteem and feeling out of control. For students who take this approach, the journey to good results can be very unpleasant.
'Defensive pessimism' involves setting unrealistically low expectations about assessment tasks, so the student has 'steeled' him or herself in the event of failure. Setting lower and safer standards against which one's ability is judged reduces the impact adverse assessment might have on one's self-worth. Unfortunately, as a result, performance standards can end up being lower than if the student had a success orientation to their studies.
Another potentially more detrimental form of failure avoidance is 'self-handicapping'. Examples of self-handicapping include procrastination and avoidance, last minute study, poor preparation for exams, or other forms of self sabotage. The resulting failure or poor performance can be seen as a result of the lack of effort and not the student's lack of ability or difficulty in engaging with the subject.
Problems Arising from Failure Avoidance
There are a number of problems with failure avoidant strategies:
- In the more severe cases of failure avoidance, such as self-handicapping, actual failure (or poor performance) is ironically the most likely outcome of this orientation to study.
- Students who take a failure avoidant approach may experience success along the way (eg. overstrivers), but the journey of study can become very unpleasant and fraught with anxiety, low self esteem and perceived lack of control
- Failure avoidance renders students more susceptible to setback and discouragement in the face of adversity.
- Any actual failure can be seen as proof of incompetence and lead to more serious avoidance behaviours.
It should be evident by now that success orientation and failure avoidance are two sides of the same coin and often both are present to some degree - it can be a matter of which has the stronger influence.
It is also important to recognise that the approach you take can change over time, and that it can change in either direction. For many students starting out, a success orientation develops as they become more familiar with the expectations of tertiary study and more practiced at writing assignments, sitting exams etc. Alternatively, perhaps you may recognise that you have drifted away from a success orientation to a more failure avoidant approach to your studies. There may have been some key events or setbacks that influenced you along the way (such as an unexpected poor mark or grade, or a personal problem that took some of your attention away from study).
Clearly, it is far preferable to have a success orientation than to be motivated primarily by failure avoidance. How can one achieve or acquire a success orientation? In part it will be based on your past experiences of success and failure, and crucially how you have reacted to, or interpreted what those experiences mean. While you can't change past experiences, you can reflect on their meaning and you can choose to start taking more of a success orientation to your studies. In order to help you do this, it may help to look at the factors that underpin a success orientation so that you can begin to apply these to yourself.