Fear of Failure, Cognitive Flexibility and Avoidant Behavior in Young Adults

Abstract

The current research aimed to investigate the relationship between fear of failure, cognitive flexibility and avoidant behaviour among young adults. A sample of 300 (150 Male and 150 Female) were selected from different areas of Faisalabad using the convenient sampling approach. Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory, The Cognitive Flexibility Scale, The Brief Experiential Avoidance Scale were used for data collection. SPSS 23 was used to analyses the data, and a cross-sectional research design was used. The findings showed that there is a significant negative correlation between fear of failure and cognitive flexibility which means the higher the fear of failure the lower the cognitive flexibility. Fear of failure also exhibits a significant positive correlation with avoidant behaviour, meaning that people who have some fear of failure are more prone to avoidant behaviour. Furthermore, the cognitive flexibility has a significant negative correlation with the avoidant behaviour, which means that the higher the cognitive flexibility, the lower the avoidant behaviour. The findings showed that fear of failure is a significant negative predictor of cognitive flexibility with more fear of failure being associated with less cognitive flexibility. Results also indicated that fear of failure is statistically significant positive predictor of avoidant behaviour, meaning that the more fear of failure is present the more tendencies towards avoidance. The findings implied that cognitive flexibility completely mediate between fear of failure and avoidant behaviour, meaning that fear of failure mediates avoidant behaviour mostly through its effect on cognitive flexibility. Results showed that the statistical difference between males and females in the fear of failure and cognitive flexibility does not exist. While the gender difference however appears in the avoidance behaviour where the female indulges more avoidant behaviour than the males. Practically, these results suggest that improving cognitive flexibility and managing fear of failure through counseling and training can reduce avoidant behavior in young adults.