Why Do Coaches Get Angry? Exploring the Relationship Between Causes of Anger and Anger Expression Styles

This study aimed to investigate the causes of anger experienced by coaches and to examine the relationships between these causes and different forms of anger expression. A mixed-methods design was employed. First, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 sports coaches to identify the antecedents of coaches' anger. Based on these findings, a pilot study involving 44 sports coaches was conducted to develop a questionnaire assessing the causes of coaches' anger. Subsequently, a quantitative survey was administered to 267 coaches to examine the associations between the causes of anger and anger expression. The results indicated that the primary causes of coaches' anger were Athletes' Attitudes, External Circumstances, and Competition Situations. Compared with individual-sport coaches, team-sport coaches were more likely to perceive Athletes' Attitudes and Competition Situations as major causes of anger. The results of the exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) structural model indicated that Competition Situations was negatively associated with outward expression of anger (Anger-Out) but positively associated with active self-regulation (Anger-Control) and internal suppression of anger (Anger-In). External Circumstances was positively associated with Anger-Control, whereas Athletes' Attitudes was primarily associated with Anger-In. These findings suggest that the relationships among Anger-Out, Anger-In, and Anger-Control vary depending on the underlying causes of anger. Overall, the findings indicate that coaches' anger is not merely a matter of individual disposition but an emotional response shaped by the complex interplay among coach-athlete relationships, competitive situations, and external factors within the sport environment.