Psychological Development in Adulthood and Coaching (original) (raw)

At the intersection of performance: Personality and adult development in coaching

Developmental coaching is increasingly recognised as an important and distinct approach in coaching as it aims to help the coaching client successfully master challenges arising out of the developmental process (Bachkirova, Cox, & Clutterbuck, 2010). Within personality theory – one of the most influential areas of psychology – the Five-Factor Model (FFM or ‘Big Five’, Goldberg, 1990; McCrae & Costa, 1990) is one of the most widely used and has been researched extensively, including with respect to work-based performance. This paper examines the established research literature to ascertain the impact of personality on adult development in the context of adult development theory, developmental coaching and work-based performance. In particular, it addresses the question to what extent, if at all, personality impacts adult development and whether interventions that address personality and performance can also be helpful and relevant to the developmental coaching process. Major findings suggest that personality changes over time, is heavily influenced by both genetic influences and environmental factors, and is strongly linked to work-based performance. Implications of findings for coaching practice suggest that developmental coaching needs to consider both developmental stage as well as personality traits, not because existing research indicates a strong link between the two – this is an area of suggested future research – but rather because both have clear but distinct empirical links to work-based performance.

A cognitive-developmental approach for coach development

Handbook of Coaching Psychology, 2018

Coach training courses and postgraduate courses for coaches and coaching psychologists have grown in number very considerably during the last decade. We are now more aware how important a role the self of the coach plays in their coaching practice. It is also widely accepted that not only relevant knowledge but also psychological development of coaches is of paramount importance in the process of becoming a coach. A number of theories that address the nuances of developmental processes in adulthood have become better known in the coaching field and accepted as helpful for working with clients. However, very few authors write about developmental benchmarks for coaches and coaching psychologists. In this chapter, we consider existing theories of individual development and suggest a developmental framework for coaches based on these theories that can be used in the context of coach education and training.

Developmental coaching: theory and practice

Coaching als individuelle Antwort auf gesellschaftliche Entwicklungen, 2016

Although coaching is often portrayed in the literature and amongst coaches as a developmental enterprise, the concept of developmental coaching is less than clear and open to misinterpretations. This paper introduces a theory specifically developed for coaching practice and fully described in the author's book »Developmental Coaching: Working with the Self«. The theory is based on a new conceptualisation of the self and suggests a developmental framework that implies a certain trajectory in the adult development process. For coaching practice this theory advocates an individual approach to coaching clients of the three different groups and suggests three mechanisms of influencing development.

Coaching as a Strategy for Helping Adults

New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2015

This chapter focuses on the use of coaching for adult learners, the specific characteristics adults bring to the learning environment, and strategies for dealing with the obstacles adult learners may face.

Coaching Psychology - a New Science in search for Identity

This article studies the present status of coaching and coaching psychology. It examines the unprecedented exponential expansion of coaching on the one hand, while simultaneously, the mixed attitudes by the public at large, and the scepticism within the academic community. It is suggested that the main essence of coaching psychology is the humanistic psychology aspiration towards self-actualisation integrated into a short-term and practical strategy for achieving it. It is argued that both, coaching and psychotherapy serve to restore the impaired learning process of the individual. The learning process becomes disturbed when blocked by maladaptive, outdated paradigms of meaning which are no longer relevant (gremlins, success blockers, defence mechanisms), and which were relevant in the past. The maladaptive paradigms impair the assimilation of new experiences and their transformation into well-adapted paradigms. The restoration of an efficient learning process enables reparation of deficient functions (in psychotherapy) and selfactualisation (in life coaching). Theorisation of a revised approach to existential/humanistic coaching psychology suggests that this approach is sustained by other disciplines which are based on scientifically valid research methodology.

Coaching with self-determination in mind: Using theory to advance evidence-based coaching practice

The scholarly coaching literature has advanced considerably in the past decade. However, a review of the existing knowledge base suggests that coaching practice and research remains relatively uninformed by relevant psychological theory. In this paper it will be argued that Self-Determination Theory (SDT; presents as a useful theoretical framework for coaching as it can help understand coaching practice at both macro and micro levels. The utility of SDT as a theoretical framework for coaching is explored, with particular attention given to the role that coaching would appear to play in the satisfaction of three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence and relatedness. It is also argued that SDT provides a useful set of propositions that can guide empirical work and ground it in the firm foundations of a theoretically coherent, empirically valid account of human functioning and wellbeing. Suggestions are made for future directions in research informed by SDT. levels of functioning) and believe it is critically important for coaches to understand (and know how to work with) the psychological processes that impact upon personal motivation and readiness to change. Yet, as it will shortly be argued, motivational theory does not occupy a prominent place in the extant coaching literature and we feel it has much to contribute to the development of coaching practice and research. This paper will provide a brief overview of Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan,1985) and outline how it can enhance coaching practice through its focus on the psychological factors that impact human motivation. It will be argued that SDT is both a relevant theoretical framework for coaching practice and a useful perspective from which to develop research questions that can advance the field (as it has proven to be in a variety of life domains, see . A brief overview of the coaching literature is now provided before exploring the utility of SDT to practitioners and proposing some future directions for research.

Psychological Characteristics of Younger and Older Coaches

Kinesiology, 2009

A coach is a key to developing an athlete's career and one of the most important factors in his/her success. The career of a coach is a stressful one, it requires a lot of work and dedication, and a great amount of involvement. The goal was to find any differences that might arise between coaches who were in this profession for a longer time and were thus older and those who worked as coaches for a shorter period of time. We assumed that such differences occur in coaches due to the stressfulness of the occupation. Our hypothesis was confirmed by the results obtained on the sample of 275 Slovene coaches. The group of younger coaches consisted of those who were up to 34 years old, whilst the older coaches were 35 years of age or older. Their personality traits, social skills, leadership styles, achievement motivation and self-motivation, emotional competences and attitudes were measured. The younger coaches are more accurate, more open to novelties, more conscious, more agreeable and they know how to manage their emotions better. The older coaches behave in a more democratic manner, but they more frequently behave autocratically as well. The older coaches report more frequently that working as a coach is a source of problems for them.