The Role of Compassion in Athletic Performance, Stress Reduction, and the Promotion of a Positive Sporting Environment.
Keywords:
self compassion, resilience, mental well-being, sport psychology, pedagogy of errorAbstract
This narrative review explores the central role of compassion in sport, with a particular focus on self-compassion as a tool for developing resilience, learning from mistakes, and promoting athletes’ psychological well-being. Through the integration of theoretical contributions, autobiographical accounts, and neuroscientific studies, the work highlights how compassion fosters more inclusive and sustainable sporting environments, contributing to transformative leadership. Self-compassion is proposed as a pedagogy of error, capable of reducing performance anxiety and dysfunctional perfectionism, and guiding sports culture toward personal growth. Finally, future research perspectives are outlined, along with the use of digital tools to make compassionate practices more accessible and measurable, redefining sporting excellence in a more authentic, inclusive, and deeply human way.
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