Might Regulatory Focus Theory help explain Arsenal's lack of killer instinct?

One of my favourite recently encountered psychological theories is that of Regulatory Focus.

It runs, in a nutshell, something like this...

The twin foundational motivations driving us are Prevention - the desire to avoid losses, and thus survive - and Promotion - the desire to achieve gains, and thus thrive.

One encourages us to seek means of staying safe - such as, say, when we get vaccinated - and the other, means of getting ahead - such as when we place a bet on the Grand National.

So we all follow the impulses of both, in response to the specific context we find ourselves in.

However, apparently we also each have a dominant motivational focus, shaped by our personality; so that in situations where either might be appropriately applied, we will likely default to the same one each time to guide our behaviour.

So those for whom the Prevention motivation is dominant will default to playing it safe in order to avoid a loss, as their over-riding goal is not to make a mistake that could have been avoided.

While those motivated more by Promotion will take a risk in order to try and achieve a gain, as their over-riding goal is not to miss out on a possible opportunity for advancement. 

Or in sporting terms, Prevention leaners play not to lose, while Promotion leaners play to win.

Which all got me thinking, once again, about the recent history of Arsenal.

The common lament among supporters is that the team consistently 'chokes' - it works its way into winning positions (such as atop the Premier League table) but then lets the opportunity slip away.

Can this perhaps be explained by the club having a dominant Prevention focus? 

The theory runs that we all perform best when there is good 'fit' between the specific situation we are in and our dominant motivational focus.

So Prevention leaners revel in 'backs against the wall' scenarios, while Promotion leaners are more inspired by 'wind at our backs' ones.

And if you think back across Arsenal's recent history, it is generally when threatened with imminent failure, rather than beckoned by possible success, that it has performed best.

Likelihood of failing to qualify, after so many consecutive appearances, for the Champions League? Impressive late season surge.

Potential to win the Premier League, after twelve barren years? Inexplicable late season collapse.

It can seem that it takes the threat of calamitous loss to get the club truly, fully motivated.

After all, even its greatest recent achievement - the 2003-4 unbeaten season - could be seen as a Prevention focus triumph first and foremost, since there's nothing quite like the goal of maintaining a blemish-free, perfect record to galvanise a Prevention leaner.

If so, maybe the change in club mentality that so many fans and pundits are now calling for is simply this - a shift from a dominant Prevention to a dominant Promotion focus?

If they get their wish, the effects are likely to be profound: for a near inevitable consequence of a Promotion focus is not just an increase in success, but also in volatility - see Chelsea, 2014-16.

But that might just be speaking like a Preventer...