Lead Me to Train Better: Transformational Leadership’s Moderation of the Negative Relationship Between Athlete Personality and Training Behaviors

in The Sport Psychologist

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Shuge Zhang Bangor University

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Stuart Beattie Bangor University

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Amanda Pitkethly Edinburgh Napier University

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Chelsey Dempsey Bangor University

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.2018-0055
Keywords:
extraversion; high-quality training; inspiring motivation; neuroticism; performance expectation
In Print:
Volume 33: Issue 2
Page Range:
119–128
Restricted access

High-quality training environments are essential for athletic peak performance. However, recent research highlighted that athletes’ personality characteristics could undermine effective training. The current set of studies aimed to examine whether specific transformational leadership characteristics displayed by the coach would moderate the potential negative impacts of 2 personality traits (i.e., extraversion and neuroticism) on training behaviors. In Study 1, 99 university athletes completed questionnaires assessing personality, transformational leadership, and training behaviors. In Study 2, 84 high-level athletes completed the same personality and transformational leadership questionnaires, but the head coaches assessed their training behaviors. Both studies showed that coaches’ high performance expectations moderated the extraversion–distractibility relationship. Furthermore, both studies demonstrated that the relationship between neuroticism and coping with adversity was moderated by coaches’ inspirational motivation. The findings indicate that extraversion and neuroticism can negatively relate to training behaviors, but such effects can be moderated by certain transformational leadership behaviors.

Zhang, Beattie, and Dempsey are with the Inst. for the Psychology of Elite Performance, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom. Pitkethly is with the School of Life, Sport and Social Science, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

Zhang (pep61f@bangor.ac.uk) is corresponding author.
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