Fedunina N.Y., Ogurtsova M.A. Sources of Athlete's Self-confidence

Self-confidence is one of the key psychological factors influencing athletic performance. Despite the existing body of research on this topic, there remains a significant need within applied sport psychology for a deeper understanding of the specific sources of confidence and the practical approaches to working with these concepts in the context of psychological assessment and counseling for athletes.

This article explores and analyzes the sources of athletes’ self-confidence through the lens of Albert Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy and its adaptation to the sport domain by Robin Vealey. The following sources of confidence are examined in detail: mastery experience, vicarious experience, coaching leadership, social support, competitive environmental comfort, physical and mental preparation, physiological and emotional states, self-presentation, and athletic identity.

Methods include categorical analysis and case analysis from applied psychological practice, which enabled an in-depth exploration of the internal structure and functional significance of each identified source. The empirical part of the study employed the associative cards tool “Sport. Self-confidence”, which allowed for detailed diagnostics and visualization of an athlete’s individual self-confidence profile.

The findings highlight the multidimensional and complex structure of self-confidence, emphasizing the importance of an integrated approach to psychological support in sport. Analyzing the profile of confidence sources provides a more precise and comprehensive understanding of the athlete’s inner resources and contributes to more effective coping with performance-related demands. It also fosters greater self-awareness, enhanced self-regulation strategies, and healthier internal dialogue for the athlete.

Key words: sport, self-confidence, self-efficacy, A. Bandura, sport psychology, associative cards

For citation: Fedunina, N.Y., Ogurtsova, M.A. (2025). Sources of Athlete's Self-confidence. New Psychological Research, No. 4, 122–140. DOI: 10.51217/npsyresearch_2025_05_04_06