“You’re just like me, so we must be great together”: how similarity in narcissism impacts the quality of the coach-athlete relationship

Stanford, JR ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8380-1804, Roberts, R, Johnston, JP ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2954-5234, Sarkar, M ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8338-8500, Holmes, P ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3083-9301 and Healy, LC ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1372-7308, 2025. “You’re just like me, so we must be great together”: how similarity in narcissism impacts the quality of the coach-athlete relationship. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 14 (3), pp. 437-456. ISSN 2157-3905

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Abstract

Narcissism has emerged as a highly relevant personality trait in sporting contexts, as its competitive environment offers individuals numerous opportunities to pursue personal glory. However, little is known about narcissism in the context of the coach-athlete relationship, and the extent to which similarity in narcissism across coaches and athletes can influence relationship quality. This study sought to explore how similarity in narcissism affects a coach’s perception of their coach-athlete relationship. Data from semi-structured interviews with 30 national and international coaches were analysed using thematic analysis within a critical realist approach. Coaches were purposefully sampled based on their Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire & Dark Triad Dirty Dozen narcissism scores from Stanford et al. (2024). Four groups were then established: similar in trait narcissism/high relationship quality (Sim-High), similar in trait narcissism/low relationship quality (Sim-Low), dissimilar in trait narcissism/high relationship quality (Dis-High) and dissimilar in trait narcissism/low relationship quality (Dis-Low), prior to any interviews. Using Wiltshire & Ronkainen’s (2021) three level framework of analysis, seventy experiential, eighteen inferential, and five dispositional themes were generated. The dispositional themes were perceived relationship perfection, high (perceived) self-awareness, breeding behaviors, relationship power and relationship elasticity. This study offers an insight into the experiences of similarity in narcissism and the subsequent influence on the quality of the coach-athlete relationship.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology
Creators:	Stanford, J.R., Roberts, R., Johnston, J.P., Sarkar, M., Holmes, P. and Healy, L.C.
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
Date:	August 2025
Volume:	14
Number:	3
ISSN:	2157-3905
Identifiers:	Number Type 2403557 Other
Rights:	© American Psychological Association, 2025. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. The final article is available, upon publication, at: https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000381
Divisions:	Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	13 Mar 2025 15:32
Last Modified:	07 Aug 2025 12:28
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/53240

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