Research

My research focus is on the differing ways in which individuals engage in competence pursuits such as athletic endeavors and why some individuals strive to avoid incompetence rather than develop adaptive paths to strive for competence. I am interested in the maladaptive patterns individuals engage in when striving to avoid incompetence such as fear of failure, perfectionism, self-handicapping, and immoral behaviors. By investigating these consequences of achievement motivation we can better understand the development of these processes how to target and prevent suboptimal behavior and enhance positive outcomes.

 *I am currently looking for students interested in completing an independent study examining doping in sport. Please contact me if you are interested in this project!*