| FINE LINE BETWEEN CONFIDENCE, PERFECTIONISM, AND VIOLATION: PSYCHOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF COMPETITIVE PERFORMANCE IN ADOLESCENT ELITE WEIGHTLIFTERS |
| Paper ID : 1228-SPORTCONGRESS |
| Authors |
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Hassan Kordi *1, Seyed Erfan Gharavi2 1Department of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Iran 2University of Tehran |
| Abstract |
| Introduction: While elite athletes may share comparable levels of technical and physical proficiency, psychological characteristics often differentiate successful performance from failure. This issue became particularly salient during the 2014 Asian Championships in Bangkok, where the Iranian adolescent national weightlifting team initially won the title, but subsequent doping violations by half of its members led to annulment of the results (IRNA, 2014). Such a context underscores the importance of examining psychological factors—especially sport self-confidence and perfectionism—that may contribute to both performance excellence and potential maladaptive outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the associations between sport self-confidence components and dimensions of perfectionism with competitive performance among adolescent members of the Iranian national weightlifting team during the 2014 Asian Championships in Bangkok. Methods: Using a descriptive–correlational design, all eight male adolescent lifters representing Iran participated through total population sampling. Data were collected via the Sport Confidence Inventory (Vealey et al., 1998) and the Multidimensional Perfectionism in Sport Questionnaire (Dunn et al., 2010). Spearman’s rank correlation was applied in SPSS version 26, with the significance level set at p < 0.05. Results: Athletic experience showed a significant positive correlation with performance, whereas social support exhibited a negative association. Parental pressure was positively linked to organization, and both physical–mental preparation and mastery correlated positively with perceived coach leadership. Conclusion: Findings highlight the fragile psychological balance between confidence, perfectionism, and moral conduct under competitive pressure. Coaches and sport psychologists should emphasize developing adaptive confidence, realistic goal-setting, and balanced perfectionism in youth athletes. This approach may not only enhance performance but also safeguard ethical integrity and emotional resilience in elite adolescent sport. |
| Keywords |
| self-confidence; perfectionism; weightlifting; adolescent athletes; performance |
| Status: Abstract Accepted (Poster Presentation) |
