Player/Coach Dilemma: The Effects of Self-Esteem & Naïve Realism on the Internalization and Response to Critical Feedback

Abstract

In this study we put 41 Princeton University student-athletes through a survey in order to investigate the player/coach relationship, and attempt predict how a player will internalize and respond to constructive criticism from their coach. We hypothesize that naïve realism and self-esteem would allow us to accurately predict how biased a player perceives their coach to be and how negatively or positively they would respond to criticism. Through correlational testing, we find that there was a significant positive correlation between the self-esteem measure and perceived bias. Naïve realism did not produce any significant results. We also found that the critical feedback scale that includes the two measures: positive/negative response and perceived bias had a significantly negative correlation that could provide some insight into how perception of bias could be detrimental to a player/coach relationship.