psychological influences on the individual

• The definition of personality

  
  

  a persons unique psychological temperamental features
• What is the trait theory ??

  - individual is born with innate characteristics called traits and stay the same in different situations

  - behaviour is consistent so the performer behaves the same in most situations

  - the theory attempts to predict the behaviour through the behaviour being the same

  - eg - an extrovert basketball player will behave like an extrovert during training and fixtures and display characteristics of being bright , loud and opinionated
• Problems with trait theory

  - can behaviour always be predictable??

  - doesn't take into account personal change as personality and behaviour can change with the situation. E.g. A footballer can become aggressive when being fouled but calms down in post match interviews

  - players like David beckham who was previously sent of in 1998 World Cup for being petulant and aggressive and later change his attitude in 2002 to becoming concentrated and and focused.such developments in behaviour could be explained by the social learning approach to personality
• What is the social learning approach??

  - offers an another explanation to how our personalities develop

  - instead of being bored with characteristics we learn them from other people especially role models , friends and parents.

  - development of personality is due association with other people and picking up there behaviour which is called socialisation

  - you are more likely to pick behaviour up in real life rather then on the tv

  -Observing others and copying them particularly if actions are successful and we learn from experience
• How does social learning theory work??

  
• What is The interactionist perspective ??


  It attempts to explain how aspects of personality are developed and how behaviour of sports men and women can be influenced by other genetic and environmental influences .

  
  

  It combines to concepts of the trait approach suggesting that personality is genetically influenced and that we are born with personality traits that will produce consistent behaviour in most situations

  
  

  The social approach which suggests personality is learnt from others.
• What is the Lewis approach to personality??

  the interactionist perspective which combines social learning and trait theories.

  - it suggests the traits that we are born with are adapted and used according to the situation.

  - the interactionist approach therefore accounts for behaviour change and suggests that behaviour is adapted to suit the situation.
• How is the the interactionist approach is explained by Lewis formula ??

  It explains that behaviour is a function of personality and the environment.
• How can the interactionist approach attempt to help coaches ??

  It predicts how a player will react in a specific situation.so since inherent, consistent traits can be adapted to the situation those traits will produce a typical response .
• What is Lewis formula ??

  B =f(Px E)
• what is the Hollander approach to the interactionist theory???

  - The idea that interaction can predict behaviors was supported by the work of psychologist Hollander

  - personality was made up of 3 features

  1. the core of the performer represents the values and beliefs of the individual. the core is stable and stable so isn't likely to change. beliefs and values such as the belief in the benefits of playing a team sport are underlying

  
  

  2. Typical responses are the use of the inherent traits displayed to specific situations. they are responses a player would make in a given situations.

  
  

  3. The role related behavior suggests that a performer might adapt to a specific role when the situation demands it. it implies that further changes to behavior may be needed as the situation demands

  
  

  For example in a team game I have the core values of strong work ethic and I always works hard for the team in every game. because I am an attacker I always make various runs to receive the ball from the midfield player however when under pressure and we are winning by a bit I always go back and help defend to protect our win.

  
  

  -Hollander believed that the environment therefore does influence behavior and he is supported the idea of the interactionist theory.
• how could the interactionist theory help improve performance???

  1. the coach could predict any potential inacceptable or aggressive behavior and remove the player by substituting them to avoid red cards and being sent off.

  
  

  2. The coach could identify situations that could cause inappropriate actions or a dropping of performance and therefore can create similar situations in training to help that player cope. A nervous player could learn to cope with the effects of a crowd watching or being observed.

  
  

  3. There coach could use the interactionist approach to change player behavior by encouraging players to adapt to specific circumstances. an anxious player taking a penalty the coach during penalty practice could give more advise and support so they are more in control during the real thing.
• what is the credulous approach ?

  when the link between personality and behavior is accepeted
• what is the skeptical approach ??

  when the link between personality and behavior is doubted
• what id the definition of attitude


  it what you think about something

  - attitude is a opinion and its a mental and neural state of readiness towards an object or individual involved in sport for example umpires
• attitude formation?


  attitudes are formed by associating with others and picking up there opinions and values called SOCIALISATION

  
  

  - Positive attitudes are important in giving motivation and persistence in the task.

  - Negative attitudes can cause a lack of effort and affect the cohesion of the team.
• Triadic Model


  Attitude is made up of three parts

  1. the cognitive part= this is what you think and represents your beliefs such as believing you can win before you have even started.

  
  

  2. The affective part- is the feeling and emotions of the player and how those feelings are interpreted. this is the enjoyment in playing and in training the feeling after a hard work out - it was hard but I enjoyed it

  
  

  3. the behavioural part= is what you do and is shown through the actions and habits of the performer. someone that trains and plays game very week shows a good behavioral aspect.
• change in attitude - Cognitive dissonance ?


  when new information is given to a performer and can cause unease and motivation change. it attempts to cause unease in the thinking of the performer to promote a change in attitude.
• How may a coach use Cognitive dissonance?


  - pointing out new techniques or training which the performer had a negative approach to and the coach almost challenges the current thinking of that player.

  - making an activity fun and varying the practices makes the session more enjoyable helping change opinions.

  - using rewards such as man of the match may increase no at training and games

  - the coach bringing in a role model or a specialist player to encourage participation
• Change in attitude- persuasive communication

  this can be used to change attitudes but the communication has to be relevant , understandable and clear and is best done by an expert. the coach has do have good timing such as after a loss the performer will relies something has to change and will be more on board with the ideas.
• what is arousal ?


  -a level of activation , a degree of readiness to perform

  - it can be on a continuum from being very low to very high excitement

  - it gives performers drive and enthusiasm but too much can cause problems
• what might increase arousal?

  - increase in the level of competition= such as the crowds / role models

  - frustrating circumstances - losing

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• what are the theories of arousal?

  - drive theory

  -the inverted U theory

  - catastrophe theory

  - the peak flow experience
• what is the drive theory ?

  -based on that increase motivation causes increased drive

  - the more drive we have the more chnce of an increase in performance levels because more effort will be put in.

  - it suggests that arousal and performance increases linearly

  - formula shows this P= F(DxH)
• what is the drive dominant response ?

  - increase drive doesn't always improve performance

  - performance doesn't always keep improving

  - at high arousal less information is being processed and the performer tends to concentrate on the 'dominant response' the response thought to be correct

  - however in beginner the dominant response may not be developed so the beginner may pick the wrong option and the probability of poor performance will increase

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• what in the inverted U theory?

  - the theory links arousal and performance by stating that increased arousal improves performance to an optimal point at moderate levels of arousal.

  - further increases in arousal can cause performance to deteriorate.

  - the moderate level of arousal is not always the best for peak performances. the optimal level of arousal can vary depending on the skill level and personality of the performer and the task undertaken.
• the inverted u theory - Experience


  - experienced players are used to dealing with pressure and can deal with tasks effectively

  - the ' dominant response for an expert is likely to be correct so they can produce a high level of performance at high arousal

  - a beginner might need to operate at a low level of arousal since they would be uncomfortable under pressure
• the inverted u theory - personality


  - Extrovert personalities may perform happily at high arousal and INTROVERTS would prefer to perform at a low arousal

  - This may be because the reticular activating system ( RAS) which controls and measures the levels of adrenaline in the body suggest that extroverts have naturally low levels of activation and can tolerate any increases in arousal

  - INTROVERTS have naturally high levels of adrenaline and therefore perform best at low arousal
• The inverted u theory - Skill

  - a complex skill needs decision making and the ability to process a large amount of information. At high arousal the ability to process a lot of information is reduced so a low level of arousal is required to execute a complex skill.

  - A simple skill requires less decision making and can still be executed at a high arousal.
• What is the Catastrophe theory?

  The theory suggests that increased arousal improves performance to an optimal point but there is a dramatic reduction in performance when arousal increases beyond the optimal.

  - the cause of this dramatic reduction in performance .is a combination of high levels of both somatic and cognitive anxieties. The athlete can recover from the catastrophe if the initial anxiety is low and the athlete has time to recover.

  - Often athletes start to panic further increasing there arousal and declining there performance.
• what is somatic anxiety

  this type of anxiety is physiological and includes muscular tension and increased heart rate.

  - it is the body's response to the performers disbelief in ability to complete the task

  - symptoms- sweating, heart rate increases , muscular tension , sickness

  - most popular at the start of the game but decrease's at the end

  - increases in somatic anxiety can improve performance up to a point but further increase has a negative effect on performance
• what is cognitive anxiety?

  -this is psychological and includes loss of concentration and worries about performance

  - performer may doubt there ability, be nervous and loss of concentration.

  - when marking a bigger , stronger player they may not be able to cope.

  - thinking is irrational since the player can deal with the opponent but anxiety means the personal perception id different

  - cognitive anxiety has a linear effect as the greater the cognitive anxiety the worst the performance
• what did the psychologist Hanin come up with the zone of optimal functioning

  - hanin studied the inverted U theory and adapted it by suggesting an increase in arousal can improve performance and that the optimal level of arousal does not vary between individual player from low to high levels

  - he suggested the best level of arousal for max control and confidence is an area or ZONE.
• Why might player have different Zones relating back to the zone of optimal functioning?

  - some player find there zone at low arousal, moderate arousal or high arousal however that zone id a bands width rather then a point
• how may athletes achieve the zone

  achieving the zone can be the ultimate experience in sport and athletes can achieve through

  - mental practice

  - relaxation

  - visualization

  -positive self talk
• why does performance while in the ZONE improve

  - things seem t flow effortlessly

  - reaching a state of supreme confidence and remains calm under lots of pressure

  - they feel in control of there actions and really focused on the activity

  
  

  Being in the zone can lead to the peak flow experience
• what is the peak flow experience ?

  -It is the ultimate intrinsic experience felt by athletes from a positive mental attitude, with supreme confidence , focus and efficiency.

  - it is a extension of the feelings and performance levels experienced in the zone.

  - this occurs to performers when timing , action and movement appear to be perfect

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• how does the development of peak flow experience happen during performance ?

  - developed by intrinsic motives which come from a positive mental attitude , lots of confidence, relaxation and anxiety control

  - the peak flow doesn't have no psychological or physiological basis but it does have appositive effect on the player.
• factors effecting peak flow experience ??

  1- poor mental preparation and the failure to reach optimal arousal levels.

  2- environmental influences such as pressure from the crowd or the frustration caused by a referee decision

  3- the effect of injury or fatigue during the game will also stop the player keeping up with the flow experience
• define anxiety


  a state of nervousness and worry, a negative response to a threatening sporting situation. it comes in different forms and has some damaging effects. Anxiety is a negative response to a perceived threat