Elaboration and validation of the athletes Idiocentric and Allocentric Profile Inventory (I-A Profile)

The athlete's psychological profile is one of the most studied areas in sport psychology, but there is no consensus in this area. The purpose of this study was to elaborate and validate a scale to measure and classify athletes into a Idiocentric-Alocentric profile. The method was split in two phases: a) Items elaboration and theoretical model and b) Validation. Qualitative analyses were performed during the first phase and factorial analysis and Cronbach's Alpha were used to validate the instrument. The final instrument was composed by 27 items and the factorial structure showed three factors for Idiocentrism (Self-Realization & Competitiveness, Hedonism, Team Emotional Distance and a second order factor - Idiocentrism Level) and one factor for the Alocentrism (Alocentrism Level). It was concluded that the pattern and consistency of the results indicate that this inventory could be used as a reliable research tool in Brazilian sports context.