Abstract
Mood profiling often focuses on the antecedents and behavioural consequences of the iceberg (Morgan, 1980) and inverse iceberg profiles (Terry, 1995). Four novel and theoretically-meaningful mood profiles, termed the inverse Everest, shark fin, submerged, and surface profiles, were identified in the general population (Parsons-Smith et al., 2017). We investigated whether the same mood profiles are evident in athletic populations. A heterogeneous sample of adult sport participants (N = 3,661) completed the Brunel Mood Scale (Terry et al., 1999, 2003) via the In The Mood website. Seeded k-means cluster analysis was applied to the responses. The six hypothesised mood profile clusters were clearly identified. Mood profile clusters have relevance for screening and other applied purposes. The inverse iceberg profile and, particularly, the inverse Everest profile may predict risk of psychopathology and mental ill-health, and signal need for further assessment. The shark fin profile is associated with reduced adherence to safety behaviours in high-risk activities and may predict injury risk in sport. Monitoring individualized mood response trends linked to high training demands or intense competition may prove advantageous. Novel profiles offer new avenues of investigation of mood influences on sport performance.