ABSTRACT
The field of sport psychology is rapidly advancing to incorporate interpersonal and social dynamics into the study of emotions, coping, and emotion regulation in sport. There is substantial evidence accumulating regarding the ways that athletes’ emotional expressions, emotion regulation, and coping occur within social contexts. By adopting interpersonal perspectives to consider emotional and coping processes in sport, researchers and practitioners are gaining information about the ways that athletes’ emotions, emotion regulation, and coping operate in an interdependent manner to affect sport performance and relationships between athletes and their teammates, coaches, and parents. This chapter will outline the recent ‘interpersonal turn’ regarding emotions, coping, and emotion regulation within a variety of sport contexts, ranging from youth sport to elite sport settings. We review current theories and research regarding the social and interpersonal aspects of emotions in sport, communal coping, dyadic coping, and interpersonal emotion regulation. Drawing on the research and theory conducted to date, we outline several key areas for future inquiry to advance this field of research and provide suggestions for applied practice.
