The Emotional Game - Group Morality

 This week's blog is probably the easiest, and most relevant to football, as both papers look at emotions in terms of in-groups  out-groups and inter-group conflict. On a football field there are two groups competing over a shared goal that only one can achieve, so these intergroup conflicts and the emotions that mediate and result because of them should be even more observable.

 In Cohen, Monoya and Insko's (2006) paper, they found that group morality endorses violent behaviour, and competitive behavior towards outgroups. In terms of football, this would suggest that the stronger a team unit, and the more they differentiate themselves from the opposition, the more they may compete with opposition. This is definitely the case for the large derby games, such as the 'Super Classico' in South America where fighting often breaks out between each teams set of fans. 

Even recently thousands of riot police were drafted in to marshall this match; 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22424292

Fixing Fernando

 With these findings that group morality and a sense of group membership can increase competitiveness and aggression towards outgroup members, perhaps in order to help enhance Fernando Torres form and play-style it might be necessary to make sure he is part of the group, and feels included in the club. This hypothesis is also supported by Torres increase in form since the arrival of players from his home country of Spain, and Rafael Benitez, a spanish manager with which he already has a great relationship. Perhaps his slight improvement in form and increased competitiveness is because of a sense of group inclusion created by this familiarity. Whilst this sense of group membership could be vital and highly beneficial in fostering competitiveness, it might well be important to avoid overdoing it, as it may as the study suggested, actually lead to aggression and violence, and lead to similar incidents as those of Luis Suarez.

The Emotional Game - Shame And Guilt

  This weeks lectures and readings pertained to shame, and guilt. In order to reflect on guilt in shame relative to the topic , it should be interesting to look at how players react to receiving criticism from their fellow players, or from making a mistake, in particularly receiving a a red card or a ban.

The paper suggested that shame is elicited by exposed transgressions, whereas guild by private transgressions  given the nature of football and t he worldwide audience, the primary reaction should by shame. This is corroborated by the gesture associated with shame, covering the face and looking down towards the ground, with a vacant expression. Below is a demonstration of this from Manchester United - Real Madrid by the Manchester United player Nani, following a red card from a seemingly harsh refereeing decision.

Some studies suggest that shame is a maldaptive trait, citing links to depressogneic attributional style. However in the context of football, an understanding of shame might be highly beneficial. Anticipating the effects of shame or guilt from receiving a ban or red card, might motivate players to avoid these aversive affective states, and be beneficial for both themselves and the team in the long and short terms.

Saving Suarez

            Tangney, Wagner, Fletcher & Gramzow (1992) , found that if a person reaches a certain threshold of shame, that shame may manifest in aggression and anger. This is particularly relevant to the case of Suarez. In an entire game against Chelsea, Liverpool were losing 1-2, and Luis Suarez was being outplayed and generally out-thought by the oppositions defence, in particularly Branislav Ivanovic, the Chelsea centre-back.  In the 70^thminute of the game, Luis Suarez decided to violently bite his opposition defender

Perhaps this is a result of , according to the findings of Tangney et al.’s study, that Suarez is shame prone, and externalising his aggression onto the opposition player as he believes the player is responsible for his poor perfomance for which he is ashamed, rather than if he was guilt prone, and would blame himself. Perhaps through a better understanding of shame and guilt, and better processing of both Suarez may be able to control his aggression into a more adaptive outcome (playing better), rather than a maladaptive outcome (racist abuse, biting players on two occasions which have lead to multiple game bans to his and his team's detriment.) This could be done by anticipating the guilt of doing something, before doing it. With that said, in the case of Suarez, perhaps he just has a total absence of guilt nor shame proneness, particularly under intense emotional/neurological stress. (As experienced during a football match). This was shown as it would be expected after the fallout, 7 match ban and universal condemnation when he last bit a player, he would want to avoid that feeling of shame/guilt occurring again.

http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/luis-suarez-bites-otman-bakkal-the-previous-incident-from-2010/

The Emotional game?

Whilst writing these blogs I have had the constant distraction of each week's football. However after a while I considered why not combine this constant distraction and writing  the blogs. Football is often referred to as the beautiful game, the people’s game or more than a game,but what about an emotional game?

                                Throughout these blogs I will explore each weeks lecture/reading content and whether the findings can be seen or applied to football. Some of these topics might be easier, such as pride and shame, but unrequited love might take slightly more ‘lateral’ thinking. In order to make sure the content and themes are as current as possible I will try and adjust them regarding the latest games/trends in football.           

Fixing Fernando + Saving Suarez

Also to really highlight the importance of self-conscious emotions in this environment, and whether or not they are applicable, I will include a weekly segment focuing on a specific football player, for example;  Fixing Fernando. Fernando Torres, now a Chelsea FC striker has gone from one of the best football players in Europe, a world cup winner, to a striker that has only scored 17 goals in 81 games.  One journalist even said

 ‘The trouble for Torres these days is the sense that he is rarely more than a couple of patchy performances from scrutiny or crisis. The weight of recent history does not help. When a striker goes five months and 25 games without a goal, as Torres did for Chelsea last season, his overall club numbers may never recover. Nor may his confidence.’ 

 This quote amongst others eludes to the fact that Fernando Torres’ dip in form and inability to perform might be due to psychological reasons. Through an understanding of the role of self conscious emotions it might be possible to explain why Fernando Torres has been struggling. Especially through the alleviation of negative affect and protection against it, aswell as increase in self-esteem and generalized confidence. Whilst I am aware that correlation, especially naturalistic, does not imply causation, for the sake of creative freedom I will explore the potential that it MIGHT, in most of the blogs.

 Another key character in these segments will also be Luis Suarez,  following incidents which have lead people to suggest he needs psychological help.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-2317279/Ronnie-OSullivan-using-Luis-Suarezs-psychologist.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/oct/26/fernando-torres-chelsea