Poster - #VH-05816 - Keywords: cognitive reappraisal emotional regulation leadership SNA

From Regulation to Leadership: Emotional Dynamics in Athletic Teams

Devika Kumar, Mot Dhanaprasidhikul, Alyssa Mendoza, Jalyn Correia, Isabella Leone, Alexander Ochoa
University of San Francisco

ABSTRACT:
Emotional regulation is a component that is critical for effective leadership, especially in high-pressure environments such as athletics. Prior research highlights that individuals with strong emotion regulation skills are better equipped to handle interpersonal challenges and foster team cohesion (Gross, 1998; Lopes et al., 2004). Leaders who regulate their emotions effectively are better able to influence group dynamics (Ashkanasy & Humphrey, 2011). Within emotional regulation, cognitive reappraisal—an approach that involves shifting how someone thinks about challenging situations—stands out as especially important. This study examines the role of cognitive reappraisal, assessed through the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), in leadership.
In this study, participants included 110 athletes from five collegiate teams who completed pre- and post-season assessments utilizing the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) as well as peer evaluations of leadership. Teammates were rated by one another on five key leadership qualities and quantified through the use of weighted network metrics. Changes in leadership roles and team cohesion were tracked longitudinally which allowed for analysis of seasonal and long-term dynamics.
Preliminary findings indicate a moderate positive correlation between emotion regulation and leadership centrality within the network (r = 0.334, p = .013). Regression analysis suggests that the athletes with greater capacity for emotional regulation are more likely to be seen as overall leaders. Additionally, social network metrics reveal that high cognitive reappraisal scores were associated with leadership stability across the season which highlights the role of emotional regulation in assisting with team cohesion and effectiveness.
While this pattern is consistent with past research, more data will be collected prior to the conference to get a more statistically powered finding. These findings provide valuable insights into the critical role of emotional regulation in leadership emergence and stability seen within athletic teams.