Papers by Sanna Nordin-Bates
International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology
Roeper Review
This study explored the motivational experiences of nine successful elite performers in ballet, m... more This study explored the motivational experiences of nine successful elite performers in ballet, music, and swimming at Norwegian talent development (TD) schools. Semistructured interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis revealed that the performers navigated within and between several contextual layers, characterized by egalitarian values, high-performance deliberate practice, and controlling conditions. These TD learning conditions provided multifaceted motivational experiences that affected performers' motivational regulation, ranging from predominantly selfdetermined, via multifaceted, to predominantly controlled. The types of motivational regulation mattered, as performers regulated by self-determined motivation engaged in their performance development in a more joyful, robust, and healthy way (i.e., self-realization, flow, self-esteem, and vitality), showing less dependence on their given TD learning conditions. In contrast, performers regulated by controlled motivation reported higher vulnerability, and in turn, more ill-being (i.e., low self-esteem, perfectionism, obsessiveness, anxiety, negative affect, and exhaustion).
Journal of Dance Education
Journal of Dance Education
Journal of Dance Education
This study provides the first in-depth investigation of how perfectionism is experienced in highl... more This study provides the first in-depth investigation of how perfectionism is experienced in highlevel dance. Seventy-seven students (M age = 15.52, SD = 2.30) completed a perfectionism questionnaire. Next, dancers with the highest and lowest levels of perfectionistic strivings (PS) and perfectionistic concerns (PC) were recruited for interview (N = 8), as representatives of the four subtypes of perfectionism in the 2 × 2 model. Distinct profiles emerged for the four quadrants of the 2 × 2 model in relation to four key themes: self-regulation, achievement goals, views on mistakes, and role of others. Dancers with high PS displayed the highest levels of selfregulation while dancers with low PC appeared most task-oriented. Dancers with high PC reported holding less favorable views on mistakes and placed greater emphasis on the opinions of others. Importantly, PS appeared to be both helpful and hurtful. Findings are discussed in relation to theory intermixed with practical recommendations.
Frontiers in Psychology
Conceptualized within the framework of self-determination theory, the aim of the current study wa... more Conceptualized within the framework of self-determination theory, the aim of the current study was to investigate the relation between perfectionistic concerns and (a) controlled (non-self-determined) motivation and (b) performance anxiety through basic psychological need frustration (frustration of competence, autonomy, and realtedness), and if these relations would be moderated by controlling teaching/coaching conditions. We used a cross-sectional moderated mediation design and purposefully selected Norwegian elite junior performers (N = 171; mean age = 17.3; SD age = 0.94) from talent development schools, who completed an online questionnaire to report their perceptions of the study variables. Associations were examined using structural equation modeling. The results showed that perfectionistic concerns were positively associated with controlling conditions, basic needs frustration, controlled motivation, and performance anxiety. Reported controlling teaching/coaching conditions moderated the positive indirect relationship between perfectionistic concerns and (a) controlled motivation and (b) performance anxiety through competence need frustration. Specifically, these indirect associations were evident for performers reporting moderate or high levels of controlling teaching/coaching conditions. In contrast, there were no indirect associations via competence need frustration for those performers who reported low levels of controlling conditions. In conclusion, the results indicate that perfectionistic concerns appear to be a vulnerability factor that exposes elite junior performers to higher risks of entering a debilitative motivational process. This seems especially likely when exposed to controlling teaching/coaching conditions. Coaches and teachers working with elite junior performers should avoid using controlling mechanisms and instead foster autonomous functioning.
Journal of Dance Education
The extent to which creativity and perfection can be considered compatible aims for dancers was i... more The extent to which creativity and perfection can be considered compatible aims for dancers was investigated. Also investigated were how creativity and perfectionism are (1) nurtured versus inhibited, and (2) related to basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness). Seventy-seven ballet students (12-19 years old) in Stockholm, Sweden completed standardized questionnaires, and eight were recruited for interviews. Additionally, five teachers were interviewed. It was found that flexible perfectionistic strivings (PS) were seen to support creativity, whereas rigid PS and perfectionistic concerns (PC) were seen as inhibiting. Creative work was proposed to reduce PC. Creativity appeared to be nurtured when basic needs were met via inspiration and imagery; this was experienced more in contemporary dance. Perfectionism appeared to be nurtured when basic needs were thwarted or unsupported, and when teachers were perfectionistic. This was experienced more in ballet. In conclusion, dance teachers who support basic needs likely support dancers' creativity and aid in perfectionism management.
Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology
The present study investigated perfectionism prevalence and its relationship to imagery and perfo... more The present study investigated perfectionism prevalence and its relationship to imagery and performance anxiety. Two hundred and fifty (N = 250) elite students (66.4% female; Mage = 19.19, SD = 2.66) studying mainly classical ballet or contemporary dance in England, Canada, and Australia completed questionnaires assessing perfectionism, imagery, and performance anxiety. Cluster analysis revealed three distinct cohorts: dancers with perfectionistic tendencies (40.59% of the sample), dancers with moderate perfectionistic tendencies (44.35%), and dancers with no perfectionistic tendencies (15.06%). Notably, these labels are data driven and relative; only eight dancers reported high absolute scores. Dancers with perfectionistic tendencies experienced more debilitative imagery, greater cognitive and somatic anxiety, and lower self-confidence than other dancers. Dancers with moderate perfectionistic tendencies reported midlevel scores for all constructs and experienced somatic anxiety as ...
Journal of Dance Medicine & Science
The relationships between multidimensional perfectionism, burnout, and motivation were examined. ... more The relationships between multidimensional perfectionism, burnout, and motivation were examined. In so doing, this study aimed to replicate and extend the study by Cumming and Duda (2012). Ninety-one ballet dancers completed questionnaires assessing the target constructs. Using cluster analysis, four profiles emerged that replicated Cumming and Duda's findings and generally supported Gaudrau and Thompson's 2x2 model of perfectionism. As such, these profiles represented pure personal standards perfectionism, mixed perfectionism, pure evaluative concerns perfectionism, and non-perfectionism. Extending previous literature, the four profiles were then compared on a range of burnout symptoms and motivational regulations. It was found that the four clusters differed significantly on these constructs, in a manner partly supportive of the hypotheses associated with the 2x2 model of perfectionism. In particular, our results reflect and extend those of Cumming and Duda, in that mixed perfectionism and pure evaluative concerns perfectionism did not differ on any of the measures. Thus, the higher personal standards of dancers exhibiting mixed perfectionism did not appear to be associated with better functioning than that experienced by dancers with pure evaluative concerns perfectionism. Altogether, the study extends our current understanding of perfectionism in dance and its potential effects, including those on burnout and motivation.
Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, 2016
Dance imagery is a consciously created mental representation of an experience, either real or ima... more Dance imagery is a consciously created mental representation of an experience, either real or imaginary, that may affect the dancer and her or his movement. In this study, imagery research in dance was reviewed in order to: 1. describe the themes and ideas that the current literature has attempted to illuminate and 2. discover the extent to which this literature fits the Revised Applied Model of Deliberate Imagery Use. A systematic search was performed, and 43 articles from 24 journals were found to fit the inclusion criteria. The articles were reviewed, analyzed, and categorized. The findings from the articles were then reported using the Revised Applied Model as a framework. Detailed descriptions of Who, What, When and Where, Why, How, and Imagery Ability were provided, along with comparisons to the field of sports imagery. Limitations within the field, such as the use of non-dance-specific and study-specific measurements, make comparisons and clear conclusions difficult to formulate. Future research can address these problems through the creation of dance-specific measurements, higher participant rates, and consistent methodologies between studies.
Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 2016
Objectives: This longitudinal study examined potential predictors of disordered eating attitudes ... more Objectives: This longitudinal study examined potential predictors of disordered eating attitudes (DEA) for male and female dancers, with a particular focus on whether environmental predictors (perceptions of task-and ego-involving motivational climate) added significantly to the prediction made by intrapersonal predictor variables (demographics/training, self-esteem, perfectionism). Methods and Design: Young dancers (N = 597, 73.4% female, M = 14.69 years old, SD = 2.04) from UK Centres for Advanced Training completed questionnaires 1-5 times over a two-year period, depending on how long they were enrolled at their centre. Multilevel modelling was employed to examine both between-and within-person predictors of DEA. Results: For females, lower self-esteem and higher perfectionistic concerns were significant between-person predictors of DEA. Increased levels of perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns were significant within-person predictors. For males, increased perfectionistic concerns and perceptions of the motivational climate as more task-and ego-involving were significant between-person predictors of DEA. No significant within-person predictors emerged. Conclusions: Findings contribute to the literature on DEA in aesthetic activities and the debate concerning the (mal-)adaptiveness of perfectionistic strivings. They also raise questions about how environmental aspects should best be conceptualized and measured in studies of this type. In particular, however, results demonstrate that the predictors of DEA among males and females may not be the same, and suggest that future interventions may therefore need to be sex-specific.
Research in Dance Education, 2016
Research in Dance Education, 2011
The aim of this study was to examine how dance teachers work with psychological skills with their... more The aim of this study was to examine how dance teachers work with psychological skills with their students in class. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six female professional teachers in jazz, ballet and contemporary dance. The interview transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith 1996). Results revealed that all teachers used psychological skills training techniques such as goal setting
Sanchez, E.N., Walker, I.J., and Nordin-Bates, S.M. 2011, “Cultural background variables in dance talent development” From motivation to movement: Towards an empirical understanding of the role of dance in health, 1st International Congress of Dance in Health, Bedford, UK, University of Bedfordshire
Journal of sports sciences, Jan 2, 2015
Little is known about the predictors of adherence in a dance context. The aim of this study was t... more Little is known about the predictors of adherence in a dance context. The aim of this study was to investigate adherence to a dance talent programme using a multidisciplinary set of variables representing psychological correlates of adherence, maturation and physical factors relating to dance talent. Psychological (passion, motivational climate perceptions, eating attitudes), physical competence (vertical jump height, handgrip strength, hamstring flexibility, external hip rotation, aerobic fitness), and maturation-related (age of menarche) variables were gathered from female students enrolled on a dance talent programme. Participation behaviour (adherence/dropout) was collected from the talent programme's records approximately two years later. Logistic regression analysis of 287 participants revealed that greater levels of harmonious passion predicted greater likelihood of adherence to the programme, and greater ego-involving motivational climate perceptions predicted less likel...
Journal of dance medicine & science : official publication of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science, 2012
The aim of this study was to understand reasons for dropout from a dance-talent program in the UK... more The aim of this study was to understand reasons for dropout from a dance-talent program in the UK, using a mixed methods design. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten dropout students to explore the influencing factors in their decision to leave the program. In order to triangulate these findings, reasons for dropout were then examined from descriptive records of 147 young dancers who had withdrawn from the talent program over a four-year period. Overall, the most frequently cited reasons for dropping out were conflicting demands, change in aspirations, course content, difficulty making friends, and lost passion. Injury, financial factors, low perceived competence, and teacher behavior emerged as minor reasons. Intervention strategies that focus on changes in course content may be the easiest to implement and most effective means to enhance student retention.
Journal of dance medicine & science : official publication of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science, 2011
The purpose of this study was to investigate a selection of psychological variables (help-seeking... more The purpose of this study was to investigate a selection of psychological variables (help-seeking behaviors, mental imagery, self-esteem) in relation to injury among UK dancers. We recruited 216 participants from eight dance styles and six levels of involvement. It was found that 83.5% of the participants had experienced at least one injury in the past year. The most common response to injury was to inform someone, and most continued to dance when injured, albeit carefully. Physical therapy was the most common treatment sought when an injury occurred (38.1%), and dancers seemed to follow recommendations offered. Injured and non-injured dancers did not differ in their imagery frequencies (facilitative, debilitative, or injury-related) and scored similarly (and relatively high) in self-esteem. Neither facilitative nor debilitative imagery was correlated with self-esteem, but dancers who engaged in more facilitative imagery in general also reported doing so when injured. Altogether, it...
Journal of dance medicine & science : official publication of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science, 2010
Performance anxiety research abounds in sport psychology, yet has been relatively sparse in dance... more Performance anxiety research abounds in sport psychology, yet has been relatively sparse in dance. The present study explores ballet dancers' experiences of performance anxiety in relation to: 1. symptom type, intensity, and directional interpretation; 2. experience level (including company rank); and 3. self-confidence and psychological skills. Fifteen elite ballet dancers representing all ranks in one company were interviewed, and qualitative content analysis was conducted. Results revealed that cognitive anxiety was more dominant than somatic anxiety, and was unanimously interpreted as debilitative to performance. Somatic anxiety was more likely to be interpreted as facilitative, with the majority of dancers recognizing that a certain amount of anxiety could be beneficial to performance. Principal dancers suffered from higher intensities of performance anxiety than corps de ballet members. Feeling out of control emerged as a major theme in both the experience of anxiety and i...
Journal of Applied Arts & Health, 2012
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Papers by Sanna Nordin-Bates