Emosjonelle og Relasjonelle Faktorers Betydning for et Lags Prestasjoner, og Treners Innvirkning på Disse

This paper seeks to examine whether the field of sports psychology provides an adequate understanding of how emotional and relational factors affect team performance, and how coaches might influence these. It appears that existing literature on sports psychology covers some aspects of this knowledge. However, it seems to lack a direct focus and more coherent understanding of these phenomena. Therefore, knowledge from organizational psychology, psychology of leadership and group psychology are addressed to develop a more comprehensive understanding of how emotional and relational factors affect team performance. Psychological safety and emotional intelligence seems to be basic and important mechanisms for teams that seek to optimize their performance. Coaches should facilitate the development of these. This can be accomplished through positive modeling of desired behaviors, empathy towards others, and a continuous reflection on one's own behavior and reactions. Finally, implications for further research are discussed, and encourage focusing on long-term observational studies of the interaction between coaches and team members