Comparing the Effectiveness of Motivational Psychotherapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Academic Self-Handicapping in Adolescents

Abstract

Purpose: Academic self-handicapping plays an important role in other academic variables. Therefore, the aim of this study was to comparing the effectiveness of motivational psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy on academic self-handicapping in adolescents.Methodology: This study was a semi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. Its population was all female students of the secondary high school of Qain city in the academic years of 2021-2022, which numbeer of 45 people of them were selected by purposive sampling method and randomly replaced in three equal groups. Each of the experimental groups separately was trained 10 of sessions 90 minute with motivational psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy methods, and the control group remained on the waiting list for training. The research tool was Schwinger M, Stiensmeier-Pelster's academic self-handicapping questionnaire (2011), which was implemented in the pre-test and post-test stages. Data were analyzed by univariate analysis of covariance and independent t test in SPSS software.Findings: The results of the present study showed that both motivational psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy reduced academic self-handicapping in adolescents, and the effectiveness of motivational psychotherapy in compared to the cognitive behavioral therapy was higher in reducing academic self-handicapping in adolescents (P<0.001).Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it is necessary to use both motivational psychotherapy intervention and cognitive behavioral therapy methods, especially motivational psychotherapy method in reducing academic self-handicapping. Therefore, counselors and psychologists can use the motivational psychotherapy method along with other effective methods to reduce academic self-handicapping.