Playing with confidence: The relationship between imagery use and self-confidence and self-efficacy in youth soccer players

Abstract

Confidence has been one of the most consistent factors in distinguishing the successful from the unsuccessful athletes (Gould, Weiss, & Weinberg, 1981) and Bandura (1997) proposed that imagery is one way to enhance confidence. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between imagery use and confidence in soccer (football) players. The participants included 122 male and female soccer athletes ages 11-14 years participating in both house/ recreation (n = 72) and travel/competitive (n = 50) levels. Athletes completed three questionnaires; one measuring the frequency of imagery use, one assessing generalised self-confidence, and one assessing self-efficacy in soccer. A series of regression analyses found that Motivational General-Mastery (MG-M) imagery was a signifant predictor of self-confidence and self-efficacy in both recreational and competitive youth soccer players. More specifically, MG-M imagery accounted for between 40 and 57% of the variance for both self-confidence and self-efficacy with two other functions (MG-A and MS) contributing marginally in the self-confidence regression for recreational athletes. These findings suggest that if a youth athlete, regardless of competitive level, wants to increase his/her self-confidence or self-efficacy through the use of imagery, the MG-M function should be emphasised.

Factors Affecting Adolescents' Involvement in Cyberbullying: What Divides the 20% from the 80%?

“…Generally, self-confidence has been positively associated with the growth of adolescents, influencing the development of leadership, self-esteem, and success in sports. 23,31,32 However, this study found that the self-confidence that adolescents feel in cyberspace was associated with negative consequences, such as involvement in cyberbullying. This finding calls for further investigation into the socio-psychological mechanism that mediates cyber-confidence and ''anti-normative behavior'' in social identity theory's terminology 33,34 such as involvement in cyberbullying.…”

Benefits of Motor and Exercise Imagery for Older Adults

“…A recent intervention study that focused on the influence of guided imagery and implementation intention on exercise behavior and self-efficacy in the general population supported the potential role of imagery in changes in exercise behavior, although the authors did not find a relation to self-efficacy (Andersson & Moss, 2011). However, the hypothesized relationship between imagery and self-efficacy has been supported in several investigations (Bandura, 1995;Cumming, 2008;Munroe-Chandler, Hall, & Fishburne, 2008;Rodgers, Munroe, & Hall, 2002;Stanley & Cumming, 2007, 2008. A more comprehensive reflection of the relationship of self-efficacy, exercise, and imagery is available in the narrative review by Ross-Stewart et al (2010).…”

The Effect of an Ecological Imagery Program on Soccer Performance of Elite Players

“…First, the players have been exposed to a main psychological technique (i.e. imagery) and taught how to use its various aspects and combinations which could be easily incorporated into daily training programs [27] .…”