Presentation

Since autumn 2022, I work 50% with teaching, mainly in sports psychology or general psychology. I work 50% as a PhD student. I have had a special field of interest in applied psychology for over 15 years which has now become my dissertation project.

The PhD project is about elite athletes whose sport performance is very central to how content they are with themselves as a person (so-called high performance-based self-esteem). Previous research has shown correlations between high performance-based self-esteem and several negative effects on health and performance (e.g., stress/exhaustion, depression, fear of failure, problems receiving negative feedback). There is also research that emphasizes the benefits of performance-based self-esteem for motivation, performance, and enjoyment. Recent research emphasizes the ambiguity in the results – performance-based self-esteem can have both negative and positive consequences. The PhD project aims to examine in more detail when and under what circumstances high performance-based self-esteem leads to positive and negative consequences for health and performance. Parts of the project are also intended to pilot test an intervention at individual level and a training for coaches, leaders and management in elite sports organizations and investigate possible effects on elite athletes health and performance.

Funke, A., & Uvenbeck, N. (2021). Ohållbar högpresterare [Unsustainable high performer]. Conforto Publishing.