Part 2: Relationship Bw/ Trait & State Anxiety

• Competitive Trait Anxiety (CTA)

  • A predisposition to perceive competitive sport as threatening & to respond to this perceived threat with varying levels of state anxiety
• Competitive Trait Anxiety (CTA)

  • Competition causes anxiety 
  • Being judged/evaluated 
  • Trait anxiety = part of personality is consistent, predictable
  • Consistent, predictable well on the other hand state can change quickly
• CTA = Cognitive Trait Anxiety
• Competitive Trait Anxiety (CTA)

  • Have trait anxiety, but situation can override 
  • Elite high in competitive anxiety, but have copying skills to help learn how to control part of personality 
  • Low in trait anxiety, doesn’t mean you won’t be stressed in a situation 
• State Anxiety

  • A current emotional state or mood characterised by feelings of apprehension & muscle tension and associated with negative affect  [ie., affect = emotions, feelings, moods]
  • Can change quickly
  • Can be influenced by personality; but if not situation/demands may result in state anxiety
• State Anxiety Subcomponents:

  • Cognitive State Anxiety  [thoughts/emotions; eg. worries]
  • Somatic State Anxiety  [physical/physiological; eg.arousal/activation  --  muscle tension, HR] 
  • * Cognitive & Somatic Anxiety don't follow the same pattern
• State Anxiety Subcomponents:

  • Cognitive State Anxiety  [thoughts/emotions; eg. worries]
  • Worried not gonna perform to standards, win etc
  • Somatic State Anxiety  [physical/physiological; eg.arousal/activation - muscle tension, HR] 
  • Body responses to stress or a situation
• State Anxiety Subcomponents: 

  • * Cognitive & Somatic Anxiety don't follow the same pattern
  • But are related 
  • Can have stressful thoughts, but body doesn’t respond 
  • Or people thoughts relaxed but physiological responses are high 
  • Important to know what one is affecting performance 
  • Do both impact performance, & can influence each other
• Relationship Bw/ Trait & State Anxiety 

  • Not a direct 'one-to-one' relationship
  • Correlations are moderate (approx.  r = .70)
  • Are related
  • Good odds, but not perfect
• Relationship Bw/ Trait & State Anxiety 

  • Trait = part of personality, predisposed to state anxiety 
  • More likely but not a given, can have coping skills to reduce this
  • Arousal - motivation - stress that may lead to state anxiety