Bite Size: Big-Fish-Little-Pond-Syndrome

Why is it that some players show exceptional talent at one side but then look utterly lost when they move to a bigger club?  Often this is blamed on a generic reason - character - when in truth the big-fish-little-pond syndrome explains it better.  The main points of this syndrome are listed here:

- Research has shown that an individual who attend a high-ability school had a greater possibility of lower academic self-concepts than another individual who went to a low-ability school.

- When someone is in an environment that expects high achievement there is the tendency that such an individual shrinks away rather than rising to the challenge.

- To put this in context if two fish of roughly equal size are put into different ponds - one large and one small - there is the probability that the one in the smaller pond does better.

- In 1966 American sociologist James A Davis warned parents against sending their children to those that are typically considered as the better colleges if there was the chance that they would be towards to lower end of the graduating class.

- When an individual feels that he is among the best in his team he will act in that way. Placed in a team where he is one of many - talent wise - there is the chance that he loses that edge.  

- A prime differentiator is intrinsic motivation: those individuals who find the drive to improve within themselves, rather than needing external motivation, tend to do better when placed in high achievement surroundings.  

Go here to read a more in-depth piece about the Big-Fish-Little-Pond-Syndrome.