Fear of Failure

Fear of Failure

Reviewed by Faisal Zaidi

A lasting tendency to expect failing to be costly and to steer away from tasks where it looks likely.

What it is

Atkinson's 1957 model set a motive to avoid failure against the motive to achieve. Elliot and Church linked it to performance-avoidance goals and low competence expectancies in a college class. Conroy, Willow and Metzler measured it through five expected consequences: shame and embarrassment, a lower view of oneself, an uncertain future, important others losing interest, and upsetting important others. A 2020 survey of 329 students related it to the learning environment and personal goals together.

In effect

The article on why people are afraid of failing uses it as the thread from the 1957 model to the 2020 survey.

What it does not say

It is a tendency measured by questionnaire and not a verdict on any person. The studies were correlational and drew on student samples, so they do not show where the tendency comes from or how it changes.

Sources

  1. Atkinson, J. W. (1957). Motivational determinants of risk-taking behavior. Psychological Review, 64(6, Pt.1), 359-372.
  2. Atkinson, J. W. Achievement motivation (reference entry).
  3. Elliot, A. J., & Church, M. A. (1997). A hierarchical model of approach and avoidance achievement motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(1), 218-232.
  4. Conroy, D. E., Willow, J. P., & Metzler, J. N. (2002). Multidimensional fear of failure measurement: The Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 14(2), 76-90.
  5. Giel, L. I. S., Noordzij, G., Noordegraaf-Eelens, L., & Denktas, S. (2020). Fear of failure: A polynomial regression analysis of the joint impact of the perceived learning environment and personal achievement goal orientation. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 33(2), 123-139.