Creating an identity when coaching

A sporting environment is one of the few settings we can place ourselves in that can meet our basic psychological needs ( autonomy, competence, belonging ) (Deci & Ryan, 2000). However, they also have the potential to have the opposite effect. Our basic psychological needs can only be met when placed in an environment that helps to develop and nurture all three.

As coaches, we might always think that our role is to develop physical attributes with an athlete. However, this can only occur when there is a social connection, a sense of belonging, and a positive social identity.

Social identity is regarded as an important determinant of sport-related behaviour (Rees et al., 2015). The extent to which we associate ourselves or identify as an athlete will influence the choices we make and how we decide to spend our time.

When someone is starting out in sport, the ‘label’ a coach places on them will affect their basic psychological needs. Before they have developed a sense of identity, they are relying on external feedback ( coach / family members / peers ) .

‘’Am I good? (searching for competence) I don’t know – what does the ‘expert’ think?’’

If we are driven by a need to demonstrate competence and will generally be more motivated in something that we feel we are good at, then as coaches we should be looking to identify people’s strengths when they are learning ( not only pointing out what they need to ‘improve’ or find flaws – this isn’t the value we think we provide ).

IF the coach at this stage gives them that sense of competence or the athlete believes they have ‘labelled’ them as good at the sport, this increases their sense of competence and belonging, as we want to feel part of a group. The coach is telling me I am good at the sport and, therefore, I belong here.

Until the coach gives them a ‘label’ they may seek that sense of identity elsewhere.

The Schrödinger’s cat analogy, where the cat is in the box with a mechanism that might kill it, suggests that the cat has the potential to be both dead or alive until they open the box. Within sport, until we ‘open the box’ and give an athlete an identity, i.e. raise their sense of competence, they won’t know if they are a ‘calisthenics athlete’ or not.

Identity gives us a sense of place in the world, and our desire to be part of an in-group shapes behaviour. Research suggests that social identity is cultivated when people describe themselves as ‘we’ and ‘us’ instead of ‘I’ and ‘me’ (Fransen et al., 2020).

Creating a sporting culture that has a high social identity creates a sense of belonging and can lead to a group with shared beliefs and values. This means that if there is a desire for the person to be part of the in-group, they are more likely to engage in behaviours representative of the group. While coaches will feel they are responsible for physical development, they are also creating the ‘motivational climate’ – do athletes want to be part of your in-group? When our in-group has a high social identity, young kids are proud to describe themselves as a ‘footballer’ for example to their friends in school (classified as an out-group in social identity principles).

To provide an example, if someone learns a cool trick in our class ( a handstand or a back flip ) and all of a sudden they can do this when they are around an out-group ( school friends for example ) and they get validation for that, or become known as the ‘backflip kid’, this further enforces that sense of identity for that young person and means they are more likely to engage in behaviour that gives them this sense of competence. From a fitness perspective, if someone learns a pull-up or starts to lose weight and is complimented in work, this external validation can lead to them being more likely to continue to engage with your club or training programme, and can form a stronger association or attachment.

While we as coaches can have a tremendous amount of knowledge surrounding physical development, creating a social identity for your sport or club, helping athletes find a sense of belonging and their own personal identity, i.e. ‘I am a calisthenics athlete’ is paramount if we want to keep people involved long enough in order to see physical development.

Is your motivational climate high in social identity? What does it mean to be part of your club? How do people describe themselves as part of your club? Does it match what you would want to be associated with you as a coach?

Social identity is seen as a determinant of behaviour throughout successful sporting organisations ( ‘Better People Make Better All Blacks’ (Hodge et al. 2014) ) and when there is a clear social identity, people are more likely to engage in behaviour that gains acceptance with the ‘in-group’.

If we have a better understanding of the environment we are trying to create, and the importance of giving that space a sense of belonging for people when they come through, we are creating a shared social connection with others.  

Creating an identity for a person through sport will give them the sense of belonging that is innate and part of human nature. As coaches, this should be at the forefront of our thoughts when aiming to create a valued connection for people who are joining our sport or clubs. Our hierarchy of needs, according to Maslow (1943) will tell us that we are searching for this and need a sense of belonging before we can achieve self-actualization.

References

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “What” and “Why” of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01

Fransen, K., McEwan, D., & Sarkar, M. (2020). The impact of identity leadership on team functioning and well-being in team sport: Is psychological safety the missing link? Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 51, 101763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2020.101763

Hodge, K., Henry, G., & Smith, W. (2014). A case study of excellence in elite sport motivational climate in a world champion team. Sport Psychologist, 28(1), 60–74. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.2013-0037

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396. https://doi.org/10.1037/H0054346

Rees, T., Alexander Haslam, S., Coffee, P., & Lavallee, D. (2015). A Social Identity Approach to Sport Psychology: Principles, Practice, and Prospects. Sports Medicine, 45(8), 1083–1096. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0345-4

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