The Effects of Support (In)Adequacy on Self-Confidence and Performance: Two Experimental Studies

The presence of supportive relationships is crucial in health and sporting contexts. However, the actual receipt of supportive behaviors from these relationships is sometimes ineffective or even detrimental. One explanation for this inconsistency is that the amount of support individuals receive might not be congruent with what they want. Using the support adequacy model as a framework, the current article was the first to examine whether the interaction of wanted and received support influences self-confidence and performance. In two experiments, participants (ns = 88, 91) performed a golf-putting task in one of the following conditions: low wanted - control (null support), low wanted – received support (overprovision), high wanted - control (underprovision), and high wanted – received support (adequacy). There were significant interactions of wanted and received support on self-confidence (Study 1 and 2) and performance (Study 2 only). More specifically, compared to participants in both the underprovision and overprovision conditions, those in the adequate condition had better self-confidence and performance. The findings provide important experimental evidence for the support adequacy model, highlight that it is a useful framework to explain the effects of received support on self-confidence and performance, and suggest that an individual’s support network should tailor actions to the support that the individual wants.