PCT suggests that individuals strive to make sense of the world by constructing their own personal theories. The performance profile was based on Kelly’s (1955) Personal Construct Theory (PCT). It appears, therefore, that this tool may have been borrowed from sport psychology, and we are therefore able to draw on the evidence base in this area to understand it’s theoretical underpinning and evidence of its effectiveness. The wheel of life is an identical concept, except for the focus on the different areas of life rather than the important elements of sports performance, and the fact that sport psychologists encourage the athletes themselves to identify the important elements rather than these being prescribed. Butler and Hardy (1992) followed this up with a paper that discussed the theory and application of the tool that they called a ‘performance profile’.

In 1989, sport psychologist Richard Butler developed and used a very similar tool to help performance in amateur boxers. Luckily however, we are able to draw on literature in sport psychology to help with our understanding of this. However, a thorough search of the coaching literature did not reveal any discussion of it’s theoretical or research base in a coaching context.

It appears to originate from Paul Meyer in around 1996, and was presented in Whitworth, Kimsey-House and Sandahl’s (1998 2007) Co-Active Coaching text. Interestingly, there is little to be found in the coaching literature about the development of the tool for coaching.

Blank wheel of life