Why narcissism can be a positive thing for athletes and their coaches

Sports scientists at Nottingham Trent University wanted to investigate how a coach’s personality shaped their behaviour and experiences when working with athletes.

Importantly, they wanted to understand what happens in the relationship when both coach and athlete see themselves as the ‘star of the show’, and whether these competing egos can result in something positive.

Narcissism, often perceived as a negative personality trait in the general population, can include being self-centred, dominant, entitled, a belief in being exceptional, and with high self-confidence.

Despite this, it has emerged as a highly relevant trait in elite sport, due to its competitive environment which offers individuals the chance to pursue personal glory.

As part of the study, the researchers interviewed coaches whose levels of narcissism either closely mirrored or sharply contrasted with their athletes’ – and whose relationships were either thriving or under strain.

The research revealed that coaches often saw their connection with the athlete as ideal, believed they could ‘read’ their behaviour to drive success and occasionally worried they had created an ego too big to manage.

Coaches also stressed the importance of staying in control and accepted that some tension was not only unavoidable but at times useful.

Surprisingly, the team found that relationships between similarly narcissistic individuals, whether both high or both low, could be highly-effective in a sporting context.

In contrast, when coaches and athletes were mismatched in narcissism, conflict was far more common, the study revealed.

“One of the most striking findings was that even relationships marked by clashing egos or friction could succeed, as long as there was mutual respect and a shared commitment to winning,” said lead author Joseph Stanford, a researcher in Nottingham Trent University’s School of Science and Technology.

He said: “Our work challenges the usual view of narcissism as purely negative and shows that, if managed well, it can actually enhance sporting relationships.

“For coaches, this means recognising how narcissism shows up in themselves and their athletes, using it to fuel performance, offering regular chances for athletes to feel exceptional – by celebrating their hard work or preparation – and being careful not to become overly dominant or emotionally involved.

“Rather than avoiding conflict, successful coaches found ways to work through it while keeping the relationship strong.”

Nottingham Trent University’s Dr Laura Healy, senior author on the study, added: “Little is known about narcissism – or personality more broadly – in the context of the coach-athlete relationship. This work has helped to extend our understanding of how coaches and athletes can have a positive relationship regardless of their levels of narcissism.

“We hope that coaches and athletes can use our work to develop and maintain strong relationships, ultimately benefitting their performance and wellbeing.”

The study, which also involved Bangor University, is published in the journal Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology.