Social identity influences emotions even in individual sports: A preliminary study in tennis

Literature on social identity in sports has predominantly focused on collective sports, exploring how such environments enhance group belongingness. Shifting this focus, our study investigates social identity within the context of an individual sport. Utilizing the Social Identity Approach (SIA), we aim to elucidate the intricate interplay between personal and social identities in an individual sports setting, specifically examining how this dynamic affects performance and elicits emotions. Fifteen tennis players ( M age = 22.33; SD age = 4.48; women = 3) volunteered to participate. Using a methodology based on Campo et al. 1 and employing the mouse-tracking paradigm, we collected a total of 28,984 measures ( M = 1932.27 ± 669.73 per participant) for each emotional and identity variable. Linear mixed models revealed that both personal and social identities positively predict pleasant emotions and positively influence each other. These findings confirm the significant role of social identity in shaping emotional experiences, contrasting with earlier research on team sports by highlighting the positive impact of personal identity in individual sports. The study discusses the underlying processes and cultural determinants contributing to these results, with a particular emphasis on the concept of social identity complexity.