Linking facets of pride with moral behaviour in sport: the mediating role of moral disengagement

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research has yet to examine how authentic and hubristic pride relate to moral behaviour toward teammates and opponents in sport. We investigated the extent to which authentic and hubristic pride are related to prosocial and antisocial behaviour in sport directly and indirectly via moral disengagement. Team sport players (N = 319) completed measures of pride, prosocial and antisocial behaviour, and moral disengagement. Path analyses revealed that authentic pride was directly and positively associated with prosocial behaviour, while hubristic pride was positively associated with antisocial behaviour directly and indirectly via moral disengagement. Hubristic pride was also indirectly associated with prosocial behaviour toward opponents via moral disengagement. Overall, our findings suggest that interventions that promote authentic pride and deter hubristic pride may foster ethical conduct in competitive sport.