The Impact of High Level Competitive Sports on One’s Self Confidence
Abstract
This study aims to examine the effects of playing a competitive sport, currently or previously, on self confidence across various individuals, not merely limited to athletes. The research consists of two groups: a control group involving individuals who do not participate in competitive sports and individuals who regularly participate and play one or more competitive sports. In order to measure the level of self confidence, a survey was conducted among around 100 random participants, and the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale-a 10 items scale to measure self esteem that consists of both positive and negative statements-was utilized to measure the level of self confidence. In order to facilitate the participation and valid response rate of the survey, 4 statements that were relatively unimportant from the Rosenberg scale were taken out for time conserving and convenient purposes. The results indicate that those who are involved in competitive sports tend to show higher self confidence. In contrast, individuals who are not participating in competitive sports reported lower average self confidence scores.
References
- Bandura, A. (1977). Apa PsycNet. American Psychological Association. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1977-25733-001
- Clark, C., & Evans, J. (2019). Academic achievement and self-confidence: A comparative study of athletes and non-athletes. Journal of Education Research, 32(1), 55-71.
- Ryan, R., & Deci, E. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic ... Self Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being. https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/SDT/documents/2000_RyanDeci_SDT.pdf
- Harrison, M., & Lee, S. (2020). Cognitive anxiety and self-confidence in competitive sports. Journal of Sport Psychology, 35(3), 223-237. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2020.1234567
- Lane, A. M., & Terry, P. C. (2022). Revisiting the self-confidence and sport performance relationship: A systematic review with meta-analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6381. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116381
- Morris, R., Arthur, C. A., & Eubank, M. (2018). The role of social support in developing self-confidence in athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 36, 17-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.01.002
- Pedersen, P., & Seidman, E. (2020). Effects of early sport participation on self-esteem and happiness. The Sport Journal. https://thesportjournal.org/article/effects-of-early-sport-participation-on-self-esteem-and-happiness
- Frontiers in Psychology (2024). Sport anxiety and subjective happiness of college athletes: A self-determination theoryperspective.FrontiersinPsychologyRetrievedfrom https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.00081/full
- Simmons, R., & Martin, A. J. (2017). The development of self-confidence in non-athletes: A study of extracurricular activities and self-esteem. Journal of Educational Psychology, 109(4), 581–593. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/edu/