Question

Marcus has a big wrestling match coming up, but he fears that he will lose. The week before the match, he claims that he is "really busy with other studies," and does not practice at all. Even though he may not realize he is doing this, he is setting himself up so that he will have an "excuse" in case he loses the match. Marcus is apparently engaging in __________.

Answer 1

Marcus is engaging in a psychological defense mechanism called 'self-handicapping.' Self-handicapping is when a person creates obstacles or excuses for themselves in order to protect their self-esteem and avoid potential failure.

Step-by-step explanation:

Marcus is engaging in a psychological defense mechanism called 'self-handicapping.' Self-handicapping is when a person creates obstacles or excuses for themselves in order to protect their self-esteem and avoid potential failure.

In this case, Marcus is avoiding practicing for his wrestling match and using the excuse of being busy with other studies. By doing this, he is setting himself up to justify any potential loss by attributing it to not having enough time to prepare. By doing so, he protects his ego from the negative impact of failure.

Self-handicapping can be a way for individuals to cope with anxiety and fear of failure. However, it can also hinder personal growth and achievement. It is important for Marcus to recognize and address his fears and develop healthy coping strategies to improve his performance in the match.

Answer 2

a Self-fullfiling prophecy.

Step-by-step explanation:

Self-fulfilling prophecies are psychological phenomena in which individuals predict an event, and due to their conscious or unconscious behavior, said event ends up happening.

For instance, Jim has a physics exam in two weeks. The exam is about thermodynamics, a topic that James dislikes because he doesn't understand it. After hearing the news that the exam was coming, he immediately claims that he was going to fail the exam. Out of resignation, he thinks: why bother studying, I'm not good at thermodynamics, and even though he may not realize it, he is setting himself up to fail. The day of the exam comes, and because he did not study one bit during the last two weeks, he loses the exam.

In this particular case, Marcus has a big wrestling match coming up, but he fears that he will lose. The week before the match, he claims that he is "really busy with other studies," and does not practice at all. Even though he may not realize he is doing this, he is setting himself up so that he will have an "excuse" in case he loses the match. Marcus is apparently engaging in a self-fullfilling prophecy.