Self worth protection in achievement behaviour: A review and implications for counselling

This paper reviews findings in relation to the self-worth theory of achievement motivation (Beery, 1975; Covington, 1984a, 1984b; Covington & Beery, 1976; Covington & Omelich, 1979a). The purpose in doing so is to establish guidelines which may be used to advise counselling approaches for self-worth protective students. These are students who voluntarily withdraw effort in achievement situations in which poor performance is likely to reflect low ability. While low effort allows a sense of self-worth to be protected in the short term, long-term results include perpetuation of avoidance behaviours in situations which involve threat to self-esteem, substantial underachievement, and maintenance of low self-estimates of ability. Recommendations for counselling include cognitive restructuring as a means of altering unproductive perceptions and cognitions which lie at the heart of self-worth protection. These include a tendency to reject personal agency as cause of success, disproportionate emphasis given to achievement as a criterion of selfworth, and attributional uncertainty.