Sport Psychology

An Introduction

History of North American Sport Psychology

1897: Norman Triplett studies social facilitation with cyclists.

Coleman Roberts Griffith:• Father of North American sport psychology• First sport psychology laboratory, University of Illinois,

1925• Psychology of Coaching (1926)• Psychology and Athletics (1928)• Hired by Wrigley family

History

1965: International Society for Sport Psychology (ISSP) founded in Rome.

1967: North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA ) founded.

1985: APA approves the formation of the Division of Exercise and Sport Psychology (Division 47).

1986: The Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP) holds first meeting.

Sport Psychology Today

Several college campuses have sport psychologists in their counseling centers or athletic departments.

Coaching education for youth and high school sports often includes mandatory sport psychology training.

Professional sports teams have sport psychologists on staff.

12 sport psychologists were credentialed to work with teams at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

Chapter 1

Motivation:The Need to Achieve

By John F. Eliot

Motivation and Drive

Norman Triplett• First formal experiment in

sport motivation, 1889• Now referred to as social

facilitation

Biological determinism• Freud: Aggression, sex drive

Environmental determinism• B.F. Skinner: Reinforcement

theory

Motivation

The nature-nurture controversy

Drive theory (nature): the search for traits

Reinforcement theory (nurture)

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic motivation: Participation is inherently pleasurable.

Make a list of the intrinsic factors that influence your choice of physical activities.

Extrinsic motivation: Participation is rewarded.

Make a list of the extrinsic factors that influence your choice of physical activities.

Discussion Question

Can extrinsic rewards decrease an athlete’s intrinsic motivation?

Self-Efficacy

The belief or confidence that one will successfully perform a task.

High self-confidence is a judgment that one is capable of performing a task

• at an elevated level,• with certainty, and• repeatedly over time.

Self-efficacy increases motivation.

Goal Orientation

Task-mastery orientation: Focus on improvement relative to one’s own past performances.

Ego orientation: Focus on social comparisons and demonstrating superiority.

(continued)

Goal Orientation (cont)

Motivational climate: The environmental factors that focus attention on either the task-mastery or ego aspects of sport participation.

Attributions

Internal vs. External• “I lost focus on that interception.”• “The ref made a bad call.”

Stable vs. Unstable• “I am a poor leader.”• “I made a bad decision then.”

Controllable vs. Uncontrollable• “I need to calm down.”• “I need to beat this team.”

Characteristics of Attributions

Locus of causality Internal Effort

An injury

External Field conditions

Equipment

Stability Stable Your talent

Unstable Weather

Luck

Locus of control Controllable Your game plan

Pregame meal

Uncontrollable Referees’ calls

Opponents’ mistakes

Higher Performance Consciousness

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi• Study of artists• Coined the term “flow”

The conditions of flow• A challenging activity that requires skills• The merging of action and awareness• Clear goals and feedback• Concentration on the task at hand• Loss of self-consciousness• Transformation of time

Motivation and Flow

The flow experience appears similar to being in the “zone.”

Experiencing flow is highly motivating.

To maximize flow, coaches and athletes should strive to create a balanced, present-oriented, focused performance environment.

Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow

Building Motivation

The role of the leader•Know an athlete’s sources of internal motivation.•Provide feedback and cues congruent with

motivational orientation.•Motivational strategies should foster

– autonomy,

– competence, and

– connectedness.

Long-Term Motivational Strategies

Push the edge. Experience success. Change your thinking. Get involved. Praise others. Vary training. Put yourself first. Find motivated peers. Think positively. Remember your dream.