Author(s): SABOURIN, C., HAUW, D., Institution: UNIVERSITÉ DE LAUSANNE, Country: SWITZERLAND, Abstract-ID: 2084

Professional hockey coaches operate in environments defined by intense performance pressures, uncertainty, and persistent expectations of success. Such contexts are likely to shape not only coaching practices but also the expression, organization, and functioning of personality traits. Despite growing interest in psychological characteristics within high-performance sport, research has predominantly focused on desirable attributes, offering limited insight into the broader configuration of personality, including traits that may be perceived as less normative, among professional coaches.
This study examined the personality profiles of hockey coaches working in professional sport settings and explored how these traits were reflected in their lived professional experiences. Adopting a multidimensional perspective, the research considered both functional traits and dysfunctional tendencies (commonly associated with the Dark Triad; e.g., narcissism, psychopathy, impulsivity, Machiavellianism), with particular attention to how certain characteristics may operate as contextually adaptive responses to the demands of professional sport.
A mixed-method design was employed with coaches from professional hockey teams across North American and European leagues. Quantitative assessments generated comprehensive personality profiles, while in-depth interviews provided insight into how these traits were enacted, experienced, and regulated in daily coaching realities, including decision-making under pressure and interpersonal dynamics within high-performance environments.
Findings underscore the complexity of personality functioning in professional coaching, suggesting that effective adaptation to high-performance contexts may rely on nuanced configurations of traits rather than strictly “positive” psychological characteristics. By advancing a more integrative view of personality in professional sport, this study contributes to ongoing efforts to move beyond normative frameworks and toward a context-sensitive understanding of psychological functioning in high-performance coaching.