A student spends much time socializing with friends instead of studying for an important exam because he is afraid to find out whether he has what it takes to pass the exam. This student is engaging in what psychologists call

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Self-handicapping behavior is a strategy where individuals avoid effort in the hopes of keeping potential failure from being attributed to a lack of ability. In this scenario, the student avoids studying to potentially attribute any failure not to a lack of ability but to a lack of preparation, which is a classic example of self-handicapping.  The purpose of this behavior is to have a ready-made excuse for failure that does not imply lack of ability.

A Student Spends Much Time Socializing with Friends Instead of Studying