Multiple Identities
More than just one thing
This spring, I read a book called “Super Communicators” by Charles Duhigg. I highly recommend it. There were many parts that were pertinent to coaches and leaders but there was one that I thought was especially poignant that connected to all our C’s (Competent, Care, Constant) and especially Care.
Part of the book talks about how our social identities shape our worlds and how that impacts communication and our ability to interact with one another. Duhigg notes several academic studies on while males and females performed similarly in English, males performed better in math. There was a gap in performance in math between males and females and a long-standing stereotype that males were simply better at math than females.
Some researchers at TCU (among other places discussed in the book) wanted to study this more in depth because while test scores showed males performing better, there were some other metrics, outside of tests, that showed females performed just as well as men. Prior to the TCU research, there was some data that showed the different performances on math tests was due to stereotype threat. In short, since females have been told implicitly (and explicitly often) that they were not as good at math as men, they doubted themselves and performed more poorly.
The TCU study took it a step further. At the start of the experiment, the lead researcher told the group of female and male participants that they were studying the “well-known stereotype that men usually outperform men on math tests” (pgs. 183-184). The participants were then split into three groups. One group just took the test. Another took a very short time to chart out their basic identity and roles. (I am a student, sister/brother, employee, etc..). The third group was told to describe themselves and write as much as they can about their different identities and who they were. They went in depth on their successes, race, social class, club memberships, athletic teams, church affiliation, volunteer service, and anything else they could think of.
After getting the test results, only the third group saw the males and females to perform equally on the math test. Why? The researchers suggested that by focusing on their multitude of different identities, this took the stress off the one part of their identity (gender) that was being stereotyped and saw themselves as a whole person.
I haven’t dug for other studies regarding athletics on this topic, but this seems to be helpful information when leading young people. Often, we see athletes who place so much pressure on themselves because being an athlete or a good player is the core of their identity. Somewhere along the line, they’ve believed or received the message that their value and identity as a person is directly related to them being a successful athlete.
Helping student-athletes understand they are more than just an athlete is central to holistic coaching and healthy development. Often, when student-athletes realize this, they become much better in their sport because the game doesn’t feel like life or death anymore. This helps the team but also is just a better way to live for them.
Sometimes, though, they can get worse as athletes. I can think of one example in my coaching career that when the athlete began to see themselves as more than an athlete, they became worse. Why? I think it was because they stopped working on their game. They were an above average athlete with one of the best work ethics I have ever seen. This is what made them good. Once they didn’t feel like they had to be good to have worth, they didn’t work as hard (still hard though), but it wasn’t enough to be really good anymore.
I think I still call that a win though.