EXPLORING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN LIFESTYLE AND SELF-CONFIDENCE WITHIN ADOLESCENT FOOTBALL PLAYERS

Sammanfattning: The aim of this narrative research was to explore the relationship between lifestyle and self-confidence within adolescent football players. The research questions were formulated as follow; (1) What sources let adolescent football players build self-confidence? (2) What issues characterize adolescent football player’s lifestyles? (3) How do adolescent football players perceive an association between lifestyle and self-confidence in sport? The results showed eight different sources for building self-confidence, where earlier performances and social support were considered as the strongest. Ten different lifestyle factors were observed. Football, social support, performance intent and good health were common factors for all the participants. The study showed three types of perceived associations between self-confidence and lifestyle. First of all, there is an overlap between the lifestyle issues and sources of self-confidence. Second lifestyle issues influence the degree to which sources of self-confidence work for the participant to build self-confidence. Third lifestyle pattern provides a balance (or misbalance) which influences particular sources of self-confidence and in the end self-confidence itself. The author discuss how the result can be interpreted in perspective of every single participant and in common for all the participants.