Perceived control of anxiety and its relationship to self-confidence performance: A qualitative explanation

Abstract

This paper looked at elite and non-elite performers’ retrospective explanations of the relationship between anxiety symptoms, self-confidence, and performance. Qualitative causal networks displayed the performers’ directional interpretations of anxiety symptoms and how this influenced self-confidence and performance. Elite performers reported greater perceived control of symptoms which were interpreted to have facilitative consequences for performance compared to their non-elite counterparts. The findings provide practical implications to enhance perceived control and performance.