Exploring the predictive ability of the perfectionistic climate questionnaire on psychological safety and wellbeing in athletes

Perfectionism is a personality characteristic that can be conceptualized as both a trait and a state. However, recent research has highlighted how certain aspects of the social environment are perfectionistic. These aspects can pose several problems for athletes that include performance and wellbeing difficulties. In line with theory on the development of perfectionism, athletes who train and compete in highly perfectionistic environments are likely to feel that making mistakes will lead to punishment. In this regard, psychological safety – which is characterised by as asking for help, admitting one’s errors, or seeking feedback from others, is likely to be undermined in such environments. By exploring athlete perceptions of perfectionistic climates, we hope to better understand factors that underpin psychological safety and wellbeing experiences among athletes.