Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T04:11:08.390Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The use of self-compassion techniques in elite footballers: mistakes as opportunities to learn

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 October 2022

I. A. James ,
B. Medea ,
M. Harding ,
Danny Glover  and
B. Carraça
I. A. James*
Affiliation:
Innovations Department, CNTW NHS Trust, Campus for Ageing and Vitality, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
B. Medea
Affiliation:
Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
M. Harding
Affiliation:
Newcastle United FC, Osborne Clinic, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Danny Glover
Affiliation:
Burnley FC Academy, Burnley, UK
B. Carraça
Affiliation:
Lisbon University, Lisbon, Portugal
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Mistakes made by players during a game are common in football, and when handled well they provide opportunities to learn and develop skills. However, when there is excessive self-criticism associated with the error, leading to dysfunctional cognitions about the self, there is the potential for a reduction in performance and wellbeing. Self-criticism can serve a number of functions but when it is excessive and undermines a player’s sense of adequacy and self-esteem it can lead to anxiety and depression. The current article explores the use of self-compassion techniques as methods for reducing the potential negative impacts of self-criticism.

This paper is a narrative review of the literature, examining the theory and evidence base associated with the use of self-compassion approaches in sport, particularly football. The article presents protocols used with professional footballers to promote performance and wellbeing.

Key learning aims

  1. (1) Elite athletes are prone to a range of mistakes and stressors, sport and non-sport related, that they are required to deal with in order to maintain their performance and wellbeing.

  2. (2) Self-compassion strategies are useful techniques for elite athletes to both help maintain wellbeing and prevent the occurrence of ‘mental health symptoms’.

  3. (3) Evidence suggests that self-compassion strategies are helpful to footballers, and beneficial protocols have been used in studies with professional footballers.

Keywords

compassionmental healthsports psychologyself-criticismwellbeing
Type
Empirically Grounded Clinical Guidance Paper
Information
the Cognitive Behaviour Therapist , Volume 15 , 2022 , e43
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Further reading

Gilbert, P. (2020). Compassion: from its evolution to a psychotherapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586161 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Walton, C. C., Osborne, M. S., Gilbert, P., & Kirby, J. N. (2022). Nurturing self-compassionate performers. Australian Psychologist, 57, 77–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

References

Awamleh, A., Mansi, T., & Ermely, Z. (2014). The effect of mental skills program on self-compassion and mindfulness. Asian Social Science, 10, 1911–2017.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barczak, N., & Eklund, R. C. (2020). The moderating effect of self-compassion on relationships between performance and subsequent coping and motivation. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 18, 256–268.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Basran, J., Pires, C., Matos, M., McEwan, K., & Gilbert, P. (2019). Styles of leadership, fears of compassion, and competing to avoid inferiority. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2460. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02460 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Batstone, A. (2022). REBT in academy football: a coach’s perspective. https://thesmarterthinkingproject.com/rebt-football-academy/ (accessed May 2022).Google Scholar
Carraça, B., Rosado, A., Magalhães, C., Ferreira, V., & Serpa, S. (2020). Mindful compassion and psychological flexibility based interventions to sport performance. In An Essential Guide to Sports Performance. New York, USA: Nova Science Publishers.Google Scholar
Carraça, B., Serpa, S., Palmi, J., & Rosado, A. (2018). Enhance sport performance of elite athletes: the mindfulness-based interventions. Cuadernos de Psicologia del Deporte, 18, 79–109.Google Scholar
Carraça, B., Serpa, S., Rosado., A. Palmi Guerrero, J., & Magalhaes, C. (2019). Mindful compassion training on elite soccer: effects, roles and associations on flow, psychological distress and thought suppression. Revista Iberoamericana de Psicologia del Jercicio y el Deporte, 14, 137–146.Google Scholar
Ceccarelli, L. A., Giuliano, R. J., Glazebrook, C. M., & Strachan, S. M. (2019). Self-compassion and psycho-physiological recovery from recalled sport failure. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1564. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01564 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Confectioner, K., Currie, A., Gabana, N., van Gerven, N., Kerhoffs, G., & Gouttebarge, V. (2021). Help-seeking behaviours related to mental health symptoms in professional football. BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, 7, e001070.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cosley, B. J., McCoy, S. K., Saslow, L. R., & Epel, E. S. (2010). Is compassion for others stress buffering? Consequences of compassion and social support for physiological reactivity to stress. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46, 816–823.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Didymus, F. F., & Fletcher, D. (2017). Effects of a cognitive-behavioral intervention on field hockey players’ appraisals of organizational stressors. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 30, 173–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dixon, J., Barker, J., Thelwell, R., & Mitchell, I. (2020). The Psychology of Soccer. London, UK: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Driscoll, R. (1989). Self-condemnation: a comprehensive framework for assessment and treatment. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 26, 104–111. doi: 10.1037/h0085394 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, A. (1957). Rational psychotherapy and individual psychology. Journal of Individual Psychology, 13, 38–44.Google Scholar
Ellis, A., & Dryden, W. (2007). The Practice of Rational Emotive Therapy (2nd edn). London, UK: Springer Publishing Company.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferguson, L. J., Kowalski, K. C., Mack, D. E., & Sabiston, C. M. (2014). Exploring self-compassion and eudaimonic wellbeing in young women athletes. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 36, 203–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferguson, L. J., Kowalski, K. C., Mack, D. E., & Sabiston, C. M. (2015). Self-compassion and eudaimonic well-being during emotionally difficult times in sport. Journal of Happiness Studies, 16, 1263–1280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frentz, D. M., McHugh, T. L. F., & Mosewich, A. D. (2019). Athletes’ experiences of shifting from self-critical to self-compassionate approaches within high-performance sport. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 32, 565–584.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilbert, P. (2020). Compassion: from its evolution to a psychotherapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586161 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gilbert, P. (2010). Compassion Focused Therapy. Distinctive Features. London, UK: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilbert, P. (2014). The origins and nature of compassion focused therapy. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 53, 6–41. doi: 10.1111/bjc.12043 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gilbert, P., McEwan, K., Matos, M., & Rivis, A. (2011). Fears of compassion: development of three self-report measures. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 84, 239–255.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gilbert, P., & Procter, S. (2006). Compassionate mind training for people with high shame and self-criticism: overview and pilot study of a group therapy approach. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 13, 353–379.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gkika, S., Wittkowski, A., & Wells, A. (2018). Social cognition and metacognition in social anxiety: a systematic review. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 25, 10–30. doi: 10.1002/cpp.2127 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gouttebarge, V., Backx, F., Aoki, H., & Kerkhoffs, G. (2015). Symptoms of common mental disorders in professional football (soccer) across five European countries. Journal of Sports and Science Medicine, 14, 811–818.Google ScholarPubMed
Gouttebarge, V., Bindra, A., Blauwet, C., Campriani, N., Currie, A., Engebretsen, L. et al. (2021a). International Olympic Committee (IOC) Sport Mental Health Assessment Tool 1 (SMHAT-1) and Sport Mental Health Recognition Tool 1 (SMHRT-1): towards better support of athletes’ mental health. British Journal Sports Medicine, 55, 30–37.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gouttebarge, V., Kerkhoffs, G., & Mountjoy, M. (2021b). Mental health symptoms in professional football. Aspetar Sports Medicine Journal, 10, 226–232. www.aspetar.com/journal (accessed July 2022).Google Scholar
Gulliver, A., Griffiths, K., Christensen, H., Mackinnon, A., Calear, A., Parsons, A., Bennett, K, Batterham, P., & Stanimirovic, R. (2012). Internet-based interventions to promote mental health help-seeking in elite athletes: an exploratory randomized controlled trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 14, e69. doi: 10.2196/jmir.1864.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hope, N., Koestner, R., & Milyavskaya, M. (2014). The role of self-compassion in goal pursuit and well-being among university freshmen. Self and Identity, 13, 579–593.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ingstrup, M. S., Mosewich, A. D., & Holt, N. L. (2016). An examination of the development and use of self-compassion to cope with adversity in sport in female varsity athletes. Journal of Exercise, Movement and Sport, 48.Google Scholar
Ingstrup, M. S., Mosewich, A. D., & Holt, N. L. (2017). The development of self-compassion among women varsity athletes. The Sport Psychologist, 32, 1–42.Google Scholar
Junge, A., & Prinz, B. (2019). Depression and anxiety symptoms in 17 teams of female football players including 10 German first league teams. British Journal Sports Medicine, 53, 471–477.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kilic, Ö., Carmody, S., Upmeijer, J., Kerkhoffs, G. M. M.J., Purcell, R., Rice, S. et al. (2021). Prevalence of mental health symptoms among male and female Australian professional footballers. BMJ Open Sport Exercise Medicine, 7, e001043.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kim, J. J., Henderson, T., Best, T., Cunnington, R., & Kirby, J. N. (2020a). Neural and self-report markers of reassurance: a generalized additive modelling approach. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 1000.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kim, J. J., Parker, S. L., Doty, J. R., Cunnington, R., Gilbert, P., & Kirby, J. N. (2020b). Neurophysiological and behavioural markers of compassion. Scientific Reports, 10, 6789. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-63846-3 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
King, A., Turner, M., Plateau, C. & Barker, J. (2022). The socialisation of athlete irrational beliefs. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-022-00460-413 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klimecki, O. M., Leiberg, S., Ricard, M., & Singer, T. (2014). Differential pattern of functional brain plasticity after compassion and empathy training. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 9, 873–879.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krygier, J. R., Heathers, J. A., Shahrestani, S., Abbott, M., Gross, J. J., & Kemp, A. H. (2013). Mindfulness meditation, well-being, and heart rate variability: a preliminary investigation into the impact of intensive Vipassana meditation. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 89, 305–313.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Liotti, G., & Gilbert, P. (2011). Mentalizing, motivation, and social mentalities: theoretical considerations and implications for psychotherapy. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 84, 9–25.Google ScholarPubMed
MH Declaration (2020). Mentally healthy football declaration of UK football associations and leagues. https://www.thefa.com/news/2020/jul/27/mentally-healthy-football-declaration-270720 (accessed 11 April 2022).Google Scholar
Mosewich, A. D., Crocker, P. E., Kowalski, K. C., & DeLongis, A. (2013). Applying self-compassion in sport: an intervention with women athletes. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 35, 514–524.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mosewich, A. D., Sabiston, C. M., Kowalski, K. C., Gaudreau, P., & Crocker, P. R. (2019). Self-compassion in the stress process in women athletes. The Sport Psychologist, 33, 23–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neff, K. D. (2003). Self-compassion: an alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity, 2, 85–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neff, K. D. (2009). The role of self-compassion in development: a healthier way to relate to oneself. Human Development, 52, 211–214.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pace, T. W., Negi, L. T., Adame, D. D., Cole, S. P., Sivilli, T. I., Brown, T. D., & Raison, C. L. (2009). Effect of compassion meditation on neuroendocrine, innate immune and behavioral responses to psychosocial stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 34, 87–98.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Purcell, R., Gwyther, K., & Rice, S. (2019). Mental health in elite athletes: increased awareness requires an early intervention framework to respond to athlete needs. Sports Medicine-Open, 5. http://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-019-0220-1 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Purcell, R., Pilkington, V., Carberry, S., Reid, D., Gwyther, K., Hall, K., Deacon, A., Manon, R., Walton, C. C., & Rice, S. (2022). An evidence-informed framework to promote mental wellbeing in elite sport. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 780359. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.780359 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reardon, C. L., Hainline, B., Aron, C. M., Baron, D., Baum, A., Bindra, A. et al. (2019). Mental health in elite athletes: International Olympic Committee consensus statement. British Journal Sports Medicine, 53, 667–699.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reis, N. A., Kowalski, K. C., Ferguson, L. J., Sabiston, C. M., Sedgwick, W. A., & Crocker, P. R. (2015). Self-compassion and women athletes’ responses to emotionally difficult sport situations: an evaluation of a brief induction. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 16, 18–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rice, S., Olive, L., Gouttebarge, V. et al. (2020). Mental health screening:severity and cut-off point sensitivity of the athlete psychologicalstrain questionnaire in male and female elite athletes. BMJ Open Sport Exercise Medicine, 6, e000712.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Segal, Z., Teasdale, J., & Williams, M. (2002). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression. New York, USA: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Thayer, J. F., & Lane, R. D. (2000). A model of neurovisceral integration in emotion regulation and dysregulation. Journal of Affective Disorders, 61, 201–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tirch, D., Shoendorff, B., & Silberstein, L. (2015). ACT Practitioner’s Guide to the Science of Compassion: Tools for Fostering Psychological Flexibility. Oakland, CA, USA: New Harbinger Publications.Google Scholar
Turner, M. (2014). Smarter thinking in sport. The Psychologist, 27, 596–599.Google Scholar
Turner, M., Barker, J., & Slater, M. (2014). The season-long effects of rational emotive behavior therapy on the irrational beliefs of professional academy soccer athletes. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 45, 429–451. doi: 10.7352/IJSP.2014.45.429 Google Scholar
Turner, M., Chadha, N., Davis, H., Deen, M., Gilmore, H., Jones, J., Goldman, S. & Terjesen, M. (2022). At the coalface: practitioner perspectives on applying rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) in high performance sport. Journal of Rational-Emotive Cognitive-Behavior Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-022-00461-3 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walton, C. C., Baranoff, J., Gilbert, P., & Kirby, J. (2020). Self-compassion, social rank, and psychological distress in athletes of varying competitive levels. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 50, 1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walton, C. C., Osborne, M. S., Gilbert, P., & Kirby, J. N. (2022). Nurturing self-compassionate performers. Australian Psychologist, 57, 77–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilkins, L., Sweeney, J. Zaborski, Z., Nelson, C., Tweddle, S., Beukes, E., & Allen, A. (2020). Elite academy soccer players’ perceptions towards cognitive behaviour therapy. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 14, 55–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, D., Bennett, E. V., Mosewich, A. D., Faulkner, G. E., & Crocker, P. R. E. (2019). ‘The zipper effect’: exploring the interrelationship of mental toughness and self-compassion among Canadian elite women athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 40, 61–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.09.006.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wood, A., & Turner, M. (2020). Rational emotive behaviour therapy and soccer. In Dixon, J., Baker, J., Thelwell, R., Mitchell, I. (eds), The Psychology of Soccer, pp. 44–59. London, UK: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.