Beyond the “I” framework: Improving emotional expression and increasing social connectedness among college athletes through the psychological displacement paradigm in diary‐writing

This study explored the effects of a 6‐week psychological displacement paradigm in diary‐writing (PDPD) intervention on alexithymia and social connectedness in Taiwanese college athletes at the individual and interpersonal levels. The sample comprised 87 participants (Mage = 19.80 ± 0.75 years). After a pretest, the individual writing group engaged in individual and interpersonal PDPD twice a week for 6 consecutive weeks. A posttest was conducted after the interventions, and a follow‐up test was conducted 2 months later. Both the individual and interpersonal writing groups scored lower than did the control group on difficulty identifying feelings and difficulty describing feelings in the posttest, and the effects persisted at follow‐up. Moreover, PDPD contributed to an increase in social connectedness. This study provided evidence of the effects of individual and interpersonal PDPD on athletes' emotion control and emotion regulation. Practitioner points The psychological displacement paradigm in diary‐writing (PDPD) facilitated emotional expression from an other‐oriented perspective. The interpersonal‐level intervention exerted a positive and long‐lasting effect on social connectedness. Teachers, coaches, and consultants can use PDPD to improve athletes' emotion regulation and social interaction.