Richard C. Teevan

Type a Coronary-Prone behavior pattern and fear of failure

An experiment was conducted to examine the fear-of-failure orientation among individuals who exhibit a behavior pattern known as Type A Coronary-Prone behavior. The results indicate a tendency for Type As (high coronary risks) to have a self-defensive motive of failure avoidance. It is suggested that fear of failure may be an explanation for the lack of symptom reporting previously observed in Type As.

Fear of failure and fear of success

Verbal leads were used to elicit TAT responses from 160 male and female high school seniors, under neutral and aroused conditions. These protocols were scored for fear of success (FOS) according to the 1973 revised scoring system developed by Horner, Tresemer, Berens, and Watson (Note 1) and also scored for fear of failure (FOF) according to the Hostile Press Scoring System developed by Birney, Burdick, and Teevan (1969). Significant positive correlations between the two motive scores were obtained under both neutral and aroused conditions. The lack of independence between the FOS and FOF scores reflects theoretical similarities in the definitions of the motives, as well as considerable overlap in the scoring systems. It was hypothesized that for those people (especially women) whose affiliative and achievement needs are interrelated, FOF and FOS may be nearly equivalent, since fear of social rejection thus becomes tantamount to fear of failure.

A comparison of three measures of the motive to avoid failure

Individuals motive to avoid failure has typically been assessed by one of three different measures, the Hostile Press scoring system, the Test Anxiety Questionnaire, and Resultant Achievement Motivation. The present research tested the ability of these three measures to predict the two major behavioral criteria of the motive to avoid failure: defensiveness on level of aspiration tasks, and choice of extreme (high or low) probability of success tasks rather than intermediate level of difficulty tasks. Subjects completed the Thematic Apperception Test, which was scored for need for Achievement and the Hostile Press measure of fear of failure. Subjects also completed the Test Anxiety Questionnaire, the Achievement Test Preference Questionnaire, and an anagram level of aspiration task. The results demonstrated that only the Hostile Press measure was significantly related to the two behavioral criteria, and led the authors to conclude that the Hostile Press measure should be used in future assessment of the fear-of-failure motive.

FEAR OF FAILURE IN FAMILIES WITHOUT FATHERS

165 students in introductory psychology were administered a modified TAT task scored for Fear of Failure using procedures developed by Birney, et al., in 1969. Significant differences in scores on Fear of Failure were reported between students in two-parent homes and those from father-absent homes. Differences in Fear of Failure scores were largest between intact families and those families where the father had died and next largest between intact families and father-absence due to divorce or separation, with greater effect of fathers absence on the lives of boys than of girls.

HOSTILE PRESS AND INTERNAL VERSUS EXTERNAL STANDARDS OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE

44 male university students were administered a 12-item true-false questionnaire to determine whether they conceptualized success and failure in terms of internal or external locus of control. They were also administered a measure of fear of failure (the Hostile Press measure). It was predicted that persons high on Hostile Press would be higher on external locus of control than the lows. The prediction was borne out. This study has been repeated twice, once with high school students, and the results have been equivalent.

Sex-Role Orientation and Fear of Failure in Women

155 female students in introductory psychology responded to a modified TAT, a role-orientation scale, and a level-of-aspiration task to test the utility of the Birney, Burdick, and Teevan (1969) model of fear-of-failure motivation in predicting the behavior of females who accept culturally-defined, masculine achievement goals as personally relevant. Subjects were classified as high or low in fear-of-failure motivation, as traditional or nontraditional in sex-role orientation, and as having either defensive or nondefensive level-of-aspiration goals. Contrary to hypothesis, no difference was found between high fear-of-failure traditional and nontraditional females in setting defensive goals.

Personality Correlates between Need for Achievement and Subscales of the F-Scale of Authoritarianism

One section of data collected from an earlier, more complex experiment is examined to test the proposition that the achievement motive predicts authoritarian behavior. Particular subscales of the F-scale correlated differentially for 22 men and 30 women with the need for achievement, supporting the notion that authoritarianism may result, in part, from an individual with a high need for achievement.

Relationship between Incentive and Expectations of Success

Some theorists have assumed that there is a negative relationship between the probability of success and the incentive of success. This paper presents arguments and some research which suggests that, depending upon conditions, the relationship may be either positive or negative. Possible effects of this finding upon the Atkinson model were discussed.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF FEAR OF FAILURE TO GROWTH NEED STRENGTH AND THE JOB CHARACTERISTICS MODEL

Considerable research has shown that individuals high in growth need strength react positively to job enrichment efforts. However, little is known about the motives and job characteristics that appeal to the low growth need strength worker. Research on the construct “fear of failure” indicates that it should, theoretically at least, diverge with growth need strength. Further, fear of failure theory predicts that such individuals prefer gradual change and advancement, high structure, and low individual responsibility. The relation between growth need strength and fear of failure was tested. Results generally confirmed the predicted relations, along with an interesting sex difference on the relations of fear of failure and growth need strength. The implications of these findings to job enrichment efforts is discussed.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HYPNOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY, FEAR OF FAILURE AND NEED FOR ACHIEVEMENT

21 men were administered a modified version of Murrays (1938) Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) to measure fear of failure and need for achievement. Hypnotic susceptibility was then tested using the Harvard Group Scale, Form A. The prediction that those subjects high in fear of failure would be less susceptible than those in low fear of failure was supported. No relationship was found between need for achievement and hypnotic susceptibility, supporting previous findings. The results were discussed in terms of the dimensions of fear of failure which would lead to low susceptibility.