The Price of Perfection: How Top Athletes Undermine Their Own Success

This study by Török and colleagues examined 111 elite athletes—many who compete in major events like the Olympics or World Championships—to understand why some of them do things that hurt their own performance. This is called self-handicapping. It’s like making excuses (saying you’re sick or tired) or not trying your hardest so that if you don’t do well, you have a reason that protects your confidence. The researchers found that athletes who are perfectionists in a negative way—those who are afraid of making mistakes and worry a lot about failing—are more likely to self-handicap. Athletes who are perfectionists in a positive way—always trying their best but not being too hard on themselves—do this less often. A big part of this behavior comes from how they think about failure. If an athlete blames themselves harshly when things go wrong, they’re more likely to hold themselves back next time just to avoid feeling bad. The researchers want to use this knowledge on the price of perfection to help athletes by teaching them healthier ways to deal with mistakes and pressure. That way, they can stay confident and perform at their best.

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Török, L., Szabó, Z. P., & Orosz, G. (2022). Elite athletes' perfectionistic striving vs. concerns as opposing predictors of self-handicapping with the mediating role of attributional style. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 862122. https://lnkd.in/ecNHfKPp

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