Consequences of prosocial and antisocial behavior for the recipient

Abstract

Statement of problem: Although studies have examined antecedents of prosocial and antisocial behaviors in sport, little is known about the potential consequences of these behaviors for the recipient. In this research, we examined: (a) whether teammate prosocial and antisocial behaviors are related to athletes' effort, performance, enjoyment and anger during a match and the mediating role of enjoyment and anger (Studies 1 and 2); and (b) whether prosocial and antisocial behaviors are related to commitment to play for one's team and whether enjoyment and performance mediate these relationships (Study 2). Method: Right after a game, football/soccer (N = 203; Study 1) and basketball (N = 281; Study 2) players completed a multi-section questionnaire measuring the aforementioned variables.

Prosocial and antisocial behaviour in sport

“…Indeed, antisocial teammate behaviour has been positively related to anger and negative affect and inversely associated with both effort and perceived performance in cross-sectional research (e.g. Al-Yaaribi et al, 2016;Al-Yaaribi & Kavussanu, 2017. The positive link between antisocial teammate behaviour and anger has been particularly strong.…”

“…The relationship between antisocial teammate behaviour and performance is less clear, with some inconsistent findings: This behaviour was a negative predictor of perceived performance in both adolescent and adult soccer players (Al-Yaaribi et al, 2016; but did not predict performance in adult basketball players (Al-Yaaribi et al, 2016). This behaviour was also a stronger negative predictor of perceived performance in adolescent male footballers, when coaches were perceived to create a performance motivational climate in the team .…”

“…For example, in experimental research, during a basketball free throw shooting competition, the antisocial group reported lower attention than the control group . Antisocial teammate behaviour also had an indirect negative effect on commitment via effort and performance (Al-Yaaribi et al, 2016;) and a detrimental effect on athletes' perceptions of social identity .…”

“…Prosocial teammate behaviours such as giving positive or constructive feedback, supporting, congratulating, and encouraging one's teammates should contribute to a more pleasant sport experience and lead the recipient of these behaviours to try harder and perform better (Kavussanu, 2012;). In the first study to investigate consequences of prosocial teammate behaviour for the recipient, Al-Yaaribi, Kavussanu, and Ring (2016) asked adult soccer and basketball players to think about their experiences during the match they just played and indicate how often they perceived their teammates to engage in prosocial behaviour toward them (e.g. my teammates encouraged me).…”

The relationships between perfectionism, angry reactions, and antisocial behavior in team sport.

“…Specifically, the lower levels of antisocial opponent behaviour related with self-oriented perfectionism may reflect attempts to actively avoid engaging in behaviours that could undermine the demonstration of personal competence. This need to demonstrate genuine mastery over others may also offset any compulsion to engage in behaviours that could antagonise teammates who are instrumental to the attainment of personal goals in team sport (see Al-Yaaribi, Kavussanu, & Ring, 2016).…”