Self-confidence is a key factor in both well-being and performance. There are many examples of this, both in top-level sport and in business: from the self-confident centre-forward who misses out on ready-made goals to the technical expert who, underestimating his or her skills, is satisfied with a narrow role with limited organisational impact.
Self-esteem, as the psychiatrist Christophe André explained in his book of the same name, has its roots in early childhood. It is therefore not easy to develop it as an adult. However, different strategies can be used to develop an adult's self-confidence in a given field. One of these is goal setting. This technique is widely used in top-level sport, but it must be used with discretion to ensure that it does not prove counterproductive.
In particular, the origin of the self-esteem deficit must be clearly identified before the objectives can be raised or lowered: is it a structural or a cyclical deficit? Depending on the origin of the problem, the solution will be completely different.
Let's take the example of a professional tennis player, who has a solid self-esteem and has been playing successfully in major tournaments for years. A series of defeats in the first round can affect his self-esteem and gradually lead him into a vicious circle where doubt leads to defeats, which increase the doubt, which leads to more defeats. One way to boost self-esteem is to have the player lower his goals from time to time: instead of aiming for good performances on the main circuit, the player can move down a level and enter ATP Challenger Tour tournaments, which are more conducive to a string of victories and the restoration of his self-esteem.
On the other hand, let's take the example of a professional tennis player who has been playing on this secondary circuit for a long time. According to all observers, his level would allow him to play on the main circuit and he has the ranking to be admitted to higher category tournaments. However, this player doubts his abilities and puts the players ahead of him in the ATP rankings on a pedestal. He limits himself to the secondary circuit, preventing himself from moving up the rankings by competing against more experienced players. One way to boost his self-esteem is to get him to structurally raise his goals (gradually, and by coaching him on how to deal with losses in particular).
This example illustrates the importance of not rushing into the use of a mental preparation technique and of accurately assessing the cause of a so-called "mental" problem before providing a solution.
It should be noted that in the cases of the two tennis players, in addition to the difficulty of the objectives, it is their very nature that can be rethought, by associating means objectives with results objectives. The latter will be more under the control of the athletes and therefore more likely to be achieved and to reinforce their self-confidence.
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