Razan Al-Nuaimi

The crab mentality, also known as (Crab Mentality)‏, is a way of thinking that means "If I can't have this thing, then you won't get it either." This metaphor was drawn from a typical behavior observed in crabs kept in a bucket; when any crab manages to escape from the bucket, the other crabs undermine its efforts so that it cannot escape, thus leading to all the crabs remaining in the bucket and losing the chance to escape.

This thinking has also been observed in human behavior, which affects performance, as people act similarly to crabs, especially when they are part of a team or a group.

The impact of the crab mentality on performance was assessed through a study conducted by a university in New Zealand in 2015, where an 18% increase was observed in average test results when some students received their scores while others were prevented from knowing them.