Athletes’ Experiences of Shifting From Self-Critical toSelf-Compassionate Approaches Within High-Performance Sport

Abstract

Self-compassion is associated with psychological well-being and adaptive responses; however, little is known about how athletes practically integrate self-compassion in sport. Through interpretive description, we explored how high-performance athletes shifted from self-critical to self-compassionate approaches to manage sport challenges. Eleven athletes (6 men, 5 women) participated in one-on-one interviews. Five themes were developed to encompass factors integral in participants’ shifts toward self-compassion: (a) role of the coach, (b) influence of other athletes, (c) impact of important others, (d) developing balanced self-awareness, and (e) maintaining an accepting mind-set. Study findings stand to inform future intervention efforts to support adaptive athlete experiences.

Lay Summary:

This study explored the key factors that impacted high-performance athletes, as they shifted from a self-critical to a self-compassionate approach, to effectively manage challenges in sport. Athletes expressed how various individuals (e.g., coaches, athletes, parents) in the environment influenced them as they integrated this adaptive approach. Self-awareness and persistence were also identified as important factors.

Notes

1 One participant played wheelchair rugby and noted that average training times were lower for this sport. With this data excluded, participants spent between 6 and 30 or more hr training per week.

2 A copy of the semistructured interview guide is available upon request of the author.

Additional information

Funding

Support for this study was provided through the University of Alberta’s Roger S Smith Undergraduate Student Research Award given to the first author.