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Stanford, JR 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8380-1804,
2025.
Personality and the coach-athlete relationship.
PhD, Nottingham Trent University.
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Abstract
The coach-athlete relationship is a pivotal component in performance improvements (Phillips et al., 2023) and positive coach-athlete relationships can also enhance overall wellbeing (Davis et al, 2018). Personality traits have been identified as a key antecedent variable which affects the quality of the coach-athlete relationship and interpersonal outcomes (Jowett & Poczwardowski 2007). However, there is still limited empirical evidence on how personality traits, particularly those that might be more relevant to the sports environment, influence the quality of the coach-athlete relationship. This thesis aims to deepen our understanding of how personality influences the quality of the coach-athlete relationship, with an overall goal of supporting athletes and coaches to develop positive relationships within their working environments. This is addressed through four specific aims: 1) To explore the effects of narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism in the coach-athlete relationship; 2) To examine how coaches and athletes understand each other’s personality traits and how this impacts coach-athlete relationships; 3) To expand current approaches to personality and coach-athlete literature by utilising a mixture of methodological approaches; 4) To provide recommendations and guidance for coaches, athletes, and governing bodies on how to support an effective coach-athlete relationship. To address these aims, this thesis is divided into five chapters.
Chapter 1 provides an overview of the current coach-athlete relationship and personality research and its limitations via a review of the literature.
Chapter 2 presents the first empirical study investigating how the Dark Triad (narcissism, psychopathy & Machiavellianism) and (dis)similarity in these traits are associated with the relationship quality of 316 coach-athlete dyads. Greater dissimilarity in narcissism resulted in higher relationship quality for both dyadic members. Actor effects indicated that higher levels of narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism were related to a reduction in coaches’ own perceptions of relationship quality, whilst only higher levels of Machiavellianism were associated with a reduction in athletes’ own perceived levels of relationship quality. Partner effects showed higher levels of athlete Machiavellianism reduced the relationship quality of coaches.
Chapter 3 presents the second empirical study which sought to explore how (dis)similarity in narcissism affects a coach’s perception of their relationship quality. Using a critical realism paradigm, 30 coaches were purposefully sampled based on their responses to Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (Jowett & Ntoumanis, 2004) and Dark Triad Dirty Dozen (Jonason & Webster, 2010) narcissism scores in relation to four distinct groups: similar in trait narcissism/higher relationship quality; similar in trait narcissism/lower relationship quality; dissimilar in trait narcissism/higher relationship quality; and dissimilar in trait narcissism/lower relationship quality. The coaches participated in semi-structured interviews to examine their own experiences of similarity in narcissism and the subsequent influence on the quality of their coach athlete relationship. 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 (dis)similarity in narcissism for coaches. These experiences influenced the coach’s behaviors within their relationship and contributed to their relationship quality.
Chapter 4 presents the final empirical study which was an eight-month longitudinal investigation into how high-performance coaches and athletes’ individual personalities, and their perceptions of their partner’s personality influence their relationship. In addition, an intervention element took place with each member of the dyad examining the impact of intra, interpersonal and situational effects of their personalities on their coach-athlete relationship quality. By combining personality and relationship assessments with semi-structured individual and dyadic interviews, as well as daily observations in both training and competition settings, five key themes emerged: A Personality to Believe In; Exposed Behind Closed Doors; In Power, No Power, or a Fight for Power; Close or Too Close? and Work With Me. The findings suggest that personality and relationship assessments can be a valuable tool for improving the alignment between coaches and athletes, ultimately enhancing their coach-athlete relationship.
Chapter 5, summarises and discusses the thesis’ conclusion and provides guidance for coaches, athletes, and governing bodies to support an effective coach-athlete relationship. Overall, the work presented in this thesis provides an in-depth understanding of the role of personality within the coach-athlete relationship. By exploring the effects of these traits on the quality of the coach-athlete relationship through alternative methodological approaches as well as working within an elite coach and athlete environment, a strong conceptual foundation of how coaches and athletes can build an effective working partnership has been demonstrated and provides recommendations to stakeholders within sport.
| Item Type: | Thesis |
|---|---|
| Creators: | Stanford, J.R. |
| Contributors: | Name Role NTU ID ORCID |
| Date: | February 2025 |
| Rights: | The copyright in this work is held by the author. You may copy up to 5% of this work for private study, or personal, non-commercial research. Any re-use of the information contained within this document should be fully referenced, quoting the author, title, university, degree level and pagination. Queries or requests for any other use, or if a more substantial copy is required, should be directed to the author. |
| Divisions: | Schools > School of Science and Technology |
| Record created by: | Jeremy Silvester |
| Date Added: | 19 Dec 2025 10:36 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Dec 2025 10:36 |
| URI: | https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/54891 |
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