Perfectionism and group cohesion among adult indoor soccer players

Abstract

This study investigated the perfectionism and level of cohesion of indoor soccer teams. The subjects were made of 58 players from a Brazilian professional league. The Group Environment Questionnaire and Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale were used for assessment purposes. The data was analysed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Cronbach’s alpha, Spearman correlation and Mann-Whitney test (p < .05). The results showed that the players had moderate levels of cohesion and achieved high scores for perfectionism in patterns of personal achievement and organization. A difference was identified in Integration in the Group Task (p = .005) and Individual Attraction toward the Group Task (p = .049) in terms of adaptive perfectionism, while no difference was detected in group cohesion when it came to maladaptive perfectionism. The results showed that organization (r = .41) and adaptive perfectionism (r = .39) may influence team cohesion in the fulfilment of tasks. As a result, perfectionism’s dimensions proved to be decisive factors in the cohesion of the teams that comprised the sample.