Part 5: Sport/Exercise Psych = Social Psych of Sport/Ex

• What is “Social” Psychology?

  • “The how & whys of human social behaviour”
  • Social meaning with & against or in presence of other human beings
  • Influences our thinkings to some degree
  • Others have an influence on you
• Theoretical Perspectives in Social Psychology:

  1. Psychoanalytic theories
  2. "Homo valen -- a striving human"
  3. B = f (P)
  4. Behavioural theories
  5. "Homo mechanicus -- a reactive human"
  6. B = f (E)
  7. Cognitive theories
  8. “Homo sapien - a thinking human”
  9. B = f (P x E)
• Psychoanalytic Theories (eg., Freud, 1908):

  • "Homo valen -- a striving human"
  • To honour our instincts
  • Unconscious, inner urges expressed as drives & emotions; esp. the libido, as it acts as a motivational force
  • Determined sex drive, part of human life drives our actions (instincts), a motivation force
  • Instinct to survive, but also nurturing & caring for offspring/others (contradictory to themselves)
  • Something else must be going on, to act on one & not the other
• Psychoanalytic Theories (eg., Freud, 1908):

  • B = f (P)
  • B = behaviour
  • Behaviour is function of person (P)
  • Being inner urges, drives that drive their behaviour, make them as a person
  • Different shifts over time on how social psych works
  • Still important & useful to a point
  • Trying to analyse what's going on in a person's thinking (psychoanalytic)
  • Not explaining wars etc
• Behavioural Theories (eg., Pavlov, 1928; Skinner, 1954):

  • "Homo mechanicus -- a reactive human"
  • We are a machine & we react
  • B = f (E)
  • Train dogs to respond to a sound
  • Stop giving treats, trained them to expect something (treats)
  • Driven by something in environment
  • What you are taught, what you take on board
• Behavioural Theories (eg., Pavlov, 1928; Skinner, 1954):

  • Like a complex computer the individual is programmed to react in a consistent manner to certain kinds of input from the social environment; minimal thought involved
  • Hardware (what came with it - P) + software (things you add such as apps - E)
  • You’re born with this stuff (P) - nature, either got it or you don’t
  • Nature vs nurture
  • Can reward you for stuff that is good, to shape who you are (E) - nurture
  • Others has some influence on us
  • Got instincts, what one to adhere to or be directed by (& in what situations)
• Cognitive Theories (eg., Bandura, 2002; Lewin, 1938):

  • “Homo sapien - a thinking human”
  • An individual ‘thinks’ about the social environment, but also brings their own motives, goals, beliefs & values to every situation
  • A complex interaction of the person interpreting the social environment leads to behaviour - emphasis is on perception
  • Hardware (P) + Software (E) + user
  • You still choose what you do
• Cognitive Theories (eg., Bandura, 2002; Lewin, 1938):

  • B = f (P x E)
  • Most contemporary theories in social psych are cognitive theories; for example ____ Theory (Bandura, 1977, 1986) - (cf. ‘sociology’ of sport)
  • Thinking theories
  • Think about social environment we find ourselves in
  • Can be driven by experiences in past
• Theories:

  • The principles of how & why it works
  • To help fix, improve it practically
  • Use info learnt to be better in practical sense
• • Psychoanalytic = about you, what you bring as a person
  • Only part of the picture
  • Nature
• • Behavioural = what you learn, the impact of the environment around you & your experience
  • Stuff around us in social environment impact what you think
  • Most of these theories, ignored person stuff
  • That person still think for self
  • Nurture
• • Cognitive = the 2 interacting together
  • About thinking (person + environment)
  • Person being influenced to an extend by social environment
  • Have a choice, so influenced to some degree by things/others around you
  • Nature + nurture (both important)