Abstract
Recently, novel lines of research have developed to study the influence of identity processes in sport-related behaviors. Yet, whereas emotions in sport are the result of a complex psychosocial process, little attention has been paid to examining the mechanisms that underlie how group membership influences athletes’ emotional experiences. The present narrative review aims at complementing the comprehensive review produced by Rees et al. (2015) on social identity in sport by reporting specific work on identity-based emotions in sport. To that end, we firstly overview the different terminology currently used in the field of emotions in groups to clarify the distinct nature of emotions that result from an individual’s social identity. Secondly, we discuss key concepts of social identity to better understand the mechanisms underlying identity-based emotions. Thirdly, we address existing knowledge on identity-based emotions in sport. We close the present narrative review by suggesting future research perspectives based on existing meta-theories of social identity. Evidence from the social psychology literature is discussed alongside existing works from the sport literature to propose a crucial theoretical approach to better understand emotions in sport.
Highlights
Emotions’ omnipresence in human life has prompted scientists across various disciplines to investigate their role to better understand their influence on performance, health, and wellbeing
Achievement contexts, and especially those such as sport, are of particular interest when it comes to studying frequency, intensity, and balance of emotional experiences (Lazarus, 2000)
Emotions are social by nature and have an adaptive role in humans’ functioning (Lazarus, 1999) in their social environment (Fischer and Manstead, 2008) to such extent they are recognized as “an ubiquitous aspect of interaction between groups” (Mackie and Smith, 2018, p. 1)
Summary
Emotions’ omnipresence in human life has prompted scientists across various disciplines to investigate their role to better understand their influence on performance, health, and wellbeing. Different authors have recently called to consider the social-self in the study of emotions in the context of competitive sport (e.g., Campo et al, 2012, 2017, 2018; Tamminen et al, 2016).
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