Study: Interdependence and Social Identity in Youth Sport Teams

Abstract: The degree to which team members believe that they rely on one another to perform successfully and achieve collective outcomes may relate to perceptions about the extent that they integrate the group within their own identity. This study examined the relationship between interdependence and social identity among 422 high school team sport athletes. Youth completed measures of task and outcome interdependence, as well as social identity. Multilevel analyses revealed that higher perceptions of outcome interdependence at an individual and team level predicted greater social identity. Results highlight the role of outcome interdependence on athletes' perceptions of social identity in sport teams.

 

Author: Mark Bruner

Dr. Mark Bruner is an associate professor at Nipissing University in Ontario Canada. Mark grew up playing sports in high school and then football and water polo at McMaster University while obtaining a degree in kinesiology. Following his undergraduate degree Mark travelled to Australia to obtain his teaching degree while playing ice hockey. After his time in Australia he returned to Canada to teach high school and coach basketball and football. He soon fostered an interest in sport psychology due to the influence of several friends and notable mentors. Form his many experiences being involved with teams, his research interests followed suit and he was soon examining group dynamics. He now finds himself at Nipissing University with his wife, where his program will be proudly accepting their first cohort of masters students this year.

Links:

 

Author: http://www.nipissingu.ca/about-us/people/Pages/Mark-Bruner.aspx

 

Study: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10413200.2015.1010661