Sport Psychology

• Trait perspective of personality

  • suggest that personality is innate so you're born with it
  • suggest that personality is stable and predictable and will be shown in all sporting situations
• social learning perspective of personality

  • suggest that personality is learned from our experiences and observed/copied from a significant other
  • can be reinforced
  • suggest that personality changes according to the situation so cannot be predicted
• interactionist perspective of personality


  suggest that personality is made up of traits and the influence of what you have experienced and suggest that personality can be predicted in a specific sporting situation
• Lewin (interactionist perspective)


  • suggest personality is produced when both their natural predispositions and the experiences they have combine in a specific situation
  • behaviour = function (personality traits x environment)
• Hollander


  personality could be represented by 3 rings the innermost ring = the core/you, 2nd ring = typical responses, outermost ring = role related behaviour
• Attitudes


  what an individual believes, how they feel/act towards and object
• attitude formation


  • past experiences - winning forms a positive attitude, losing forms a negative attitude
  • socialisation - family, friends or culture influence
  • media - role models displaying attitudes
  • social learning -imitating attitude of significant others
• Triadic model


  • Cognitive - beliefs/thoughts
  • Behavioural - actions/responses
  • Affective - emotions/feelings
• general strategies to changing attitudes

  • Ensuring positive experiences
  • Role models to highlight positive attitudes
  • persuasive communication
  • Punishing negative attitudes
  • Praising positive attitudes/behaviour
• cognitive dissonance


  creating unease inside individual by changing 1 or more attitudes, causing individual to question their attitude and thus change it
• drive theory (arousal)


  as arousal increases, performance increases
• Inverted U theory (arousal)


  peak performance is reached when arousal is at a moderate level
• catastrophe theory (arousal)


  suggest that performance will suddenly decrease once optimum has been exceeded
• Hanin's zone of optimal functioning

  each individual has their own optimum arousal level for peak performance
• peak flow experience


  The ultimate intrinsic experience felt by athletes from a positive mental attitude, with supreme confidence, focus and efficiency
• when does peak flow experience occur when performer :

  • have a positive attitude before and during performance
  • the correct attentional style 
  • have control of their arousal levels
  • has a clear goal
• 4 types of anxiety

  1. somatic anxiety
  2. cognitive anxiety
  3. competitive trait anxiety
  4. competitive state anxiety
• somatic anxiety


  Physiological symptoms include, sweating, increased HR, feeling of nausea
• cognitive anxiety


  mental symptoms of anxiety e.g. worrying
• Competitive trait anxiety


  tendency to become anxious in all sporting situations
• Competitive state anxiety


  only anxious in specific sporting situation due to negative past experiences
• Causes of anxiety


  • task importance
  • lack of confidence
  • fear of being injured
  • fear of failing
  • being fouled
• 3 methods of measuring anxiety

  1. Sport competition anxiety test (SCAT) 
  2. Observational methods
  3. Physiological tests
• Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT)


  A self-report questionnaire which evaluates how they feel prior to competing, and their views towards participating in competitive sport in general
• Observational methods (anxiety test)

  Performers behaviour is analysed before, during and after a performance
• Aggression


  When an individual purposefully harms or injures their opponent outside the rules of the game
• Assertion


  When an individual plays hard, but within the rules of the game
• Reasons for aggression


  • Social learning
  • Over-arousal
  • Playing badly/losing
  • Importance of game
  • Personality
• Instinct theory of aggression


  Suggest we have a predisposition to be aggressive, aggression will build up & if provoked enough, we will react aggressively. Once the aggressive act occurs, there is a cathartic effect - the aggression is released & we calm down
• Frustration-aggression hypothesis


  A principle stating that when a goal is blocked, individuals experience frustration. According to they hypothesis, frustration always leads to aggression. An aggressive act will have a cathartic effect
• Cathartic


  Relaxing after an emotional outburst (aggressive act)
• Aggressive cue hypothesis (Berkowitz)


  Updated version of frustration-aggression hypothesis, difference being that when goals are blocked, it leads to increased arousal thus they experience frustration. They become ready for an aggressive act rather than inevitable aggression. Aggressive act will only happen if learned cues are present
• Social learning theory of aggression


  States that aggression is learned by watching & copying the behaviour of significant others. If aggressive act is reinforced its likely to be copied. Aggression can also occur due to socialisation
• Strategies players can do to control aggression

  • Cognitive techniques: Mental rehearsal, imagery, selective attention, visualisation
  • Somatic techniques: relaxation techniques, deep breathing, walk away, count to 10
• Strategies coaches can do to control aggression


  • Praise non-aggressive act
  • Highlight non-aggressive role models
  • Punish aggression
  • Ensure own behaviour isn't aggressive
• Motivation


  An individual's desire to succeed
• Types of motivation


  • Intrinsic and extrinsic
• Intrinsic motivation


  Motivation based on internal factors such as 'love' of the sport, self-satisfaction or pride of achieving goals. This type of motivation lasts longer than extrinsic motivation
• How can a coach encourage intrinsic motivation

  Encourage performers to set personal goals & to generate intrinsic motivation whenever possible
• Extrinsic motivation


  Motivation based on external factors such as tangible or intangible rewards. Withdrawing extrinsic rewards can lead to total withdrawal from participation