I've always thought of it as a precautionary action to avoid the threat or possibility of some far worse consequence. As for a short field landing, yes you MIGHT use that technique after the search and selection of a suitable landing area. But if you suspect that the ground might not be very firm (ie after rain), it might be wiser to adopt the POH configuration for a soft field landing.
I certainly wouldn't like to think that pilots are using the term "short-field landing" as a synonym for the result of a precautionary search procedure.