Revisiting the performance profile technique: theoretical underpinnings and application

The performance profile technique (Butler, 1989, 1991), which stems from a personalconstruct psychology (PCP; Kelly, 1955/1991) framework, has become a usefulmethodology for identifying and understanding an athlete’s perceived need for areasof improvement. Despite the popularity of this technique, current descriptions andpractices fail to appreciate key tenets of PCP which offer a greater insight into one’sperspective. Accordingly, the purposes of this paper are to revisit the performanceprofile technique and describe an extension of its current form by drawing on thesekey PCP tenets as well as providing an example of the revised methodology in practice.Following a brief overview of PCP, we outline two key tenets of this theoreticalframework that have guided the revised version of the performance profile techniquepresented here. We conclude with a case example of the new methodology in practiceusing an Australian footballer’s perception of mental toughness.