Ego Threat and the Development of Competitive Trait Anxiety in Elite Junior British Tennis Players

Abstract

This paper explores the concept of ego threat, in an attempt to gain greater insight into the aetiology of competitive trait anxiety (CTA). The research was conducted predominantly within an interpretive framework but utilised Creswell's (1994, p.172) “dominant‐less dominant” model for combining qualitative and quantitative research. Martens’ (1977) Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) was administered to 138 elite junior British tennis players currently enrolled on the Rover Junior Tennis Initiative (RJTI). This enabled 25 players, high in CTA to be identified for in‐depth interviewing. Data revealed that self‐presentational and reputation concerns emerged as sources of anxiety for these high CTA players and suggests that ego threat represents a major underlying source of CTA. The players’ dimensional self‐structures and the processes involved in the construction and shaping of their identities is also discussed with respect to how and why these players have developed a greater proneness to perceive ego threat and thus CTA.