Perception Of Coaching Behavior And Its Impact On Taking Conflict Personally

The purpose of this study was to examine athletes’ perception of coaching behavior and its effects on taking conflict personally. Considering athletes’ competitive, emotional, and defensive nature and reflecting on personal experiences, it was predicted that athletes’ perception of coaching behavior would be directly correlated with taking conflict personally. Participants (N=83) completed a survey that measured direct personalization, persecution feelings, relational effects, like/dislike valence, and the effects of coaching behavior on athletes and their perception of performance. The results of the Pearson correlation analyses provided support for the hypothesized association that athlete perception of coaching behavior was correlated with persecution feelings and with a like/dislike valence. The study also found that coaching behavior was correlated with taking conflict personally. The paper concludes with a discussion of future research possibilities