Professional athletes may continue to insist they are essential to the team when they are past their physical prime. this tendency illustrates which characteristic of the self-concept?

Resistance to change

Explanation:

From the given case/scenario we can state that this tendency illustrates the resistance to change as a characteristic of self-concept. Under this characteristic, an individual tends to act out against the concept of change irrespective of its context. Here in this particular case, professional athletes show case the same characteristic. They believe that they can continue to contribute even if they are past their prime age and physique.