Sports Psychology Timeline

Sports—which involve emotion, competition, cooperation, achievement, and play—provide a rich area for psychological study. People involved in sports attempt to master very difficult skills, often subjecting themselves to intense physical stress as well as social pressure. research has expanded into numerous areas such as imagery training, hypnosis, relaxation training, motivation, socialization, conflict and competition, counseling, and coaching. Specific sports and recreational specialties studied include baseball, basketball, soccer,

The present review will analyze and critique five empirical sport psychology-related research articles. Moreover, the discussion of each article will include which statistical method was used, why it was used, and whether or not it was appropriate for the data. In addition, the article discussion will include a description and possible critique of the author’s interpretations of the results.

Starting from my freshman year in high school I have always been more intrigued by the human mind and how it operates. Thanks to the study of psychology my curiosity only flourished even more as I got older. I find the observations psychology gives about human behavior very interesting, and I have been fascinated by it for as long as I can remember. I’ve been caught in between approaching the journey of being a sports psychologist and an industrial organizational psychologist. I am passionate about sports and studying Psychology. I plan on extending my knowledge in the mixture of the two and contributing it towards my future. I want to examine the various areas of sports psychology and also learn more about the idea of improving quality performance

Psychology is a branch of philosophy until the late 1870’s when it was developed in Germany and the United States as an independent scientific punishment. In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt founded the first laboratory and dedicated it to psychological research in Leipzig, Germany. Wilhelm Wundt was also the first person to be referred as a psychologists. Early sponsors to the psychology field are Hermann Ebbinghaus, who is the pioneer in the study of the memory. William James, who is the father of pragmatism. Ivan Pavlolv, who had develop the procedures that is associated with classical conditioning, which is the learning process which an innate responses to a stimulus that comes to be elicited in response to a neutral stimulus. In 1890, Hugo Munsterberg began writing the application of psychology to production, law and other fields. Also in 1890 Lightner Witmer had established the first psychology clinic.

In accordance to Rotella (1990)’s philosophy of service, I think the most important thing to accomplish when one first starts working with a client is to figure out what exactly the client wants out of this relationship, what goals they want to accomplish, how they think they can accomplish these goals, and what they need from me in order to get there. A consultant can do this by being completely up front with their athlete about what they are or are not capable of doing and what they are trained to do. Although I would be thrilled to work with any type of professional or college athlete, my ultimate dream is to be the on-staff sport psychology consultant for a collegiate athletic department. My goal in that position, besides being the best consultant I can be for my clients of course, will be to normalize counseling. Many athletes shy away from seeking out consults from a sport psychology consultant because they are afraid of being seen by their teammates, coaches, friends, etc. as “head cases” going to see a “shrink” (Gould & Damarjian, 1998). If I can change that perception and help athletes see the benefits of sport psychology consulting, then I would have done my job well. I think the best way I can accomplish this goal is by keeping a friendly, laid-back, non-judgmental attitude with my clients

He has received several grants for his studies. His skills and expertise in this area come from over 10 years of experience in the field. He continues to provide sports psychology advice for state level athletes.

The article titled “NCAA Athletic Administrators’ Preferred Characteristics for Sport Psychology Positions: A Consumer Market Analysis” uses a consumer marketing approach to look at the market for sport psychology positions. A research tool used was an internet based survey asking 2,976 Athletic administrators what characteristics they prefer

The study results included that there were few differences between the male and female athletes perception of sport psychology except the males tend to view sport psychology as having to do with mental things and females viewed it as having a problem. Both genders seemed to view the barrier of using sport psychology services to be admitting you have a problem and how others (peers) would view it, embarrassment. Other conclusions from this study were that high school athlete has a positive attitude about sport psychology and want to gain a better understanding of the field. It was noted, the focus group facilitator’s background in the field of sport psychology was shared in the group and may have influenced the participates positive attitude

Their responsibilities are to aid their athletes in overcoming psychological barriers and assist them in reaching their maximum potential regardless of the mental behaviors that may render them from doing so. In order to help their athletes overcome these barriers a sports psychologist may introduce strategies that improve an athlete's trust in their team or coach, encourage the team to work together and work on that athletes self confidence. In order to become a sports psychologist you must have at least a master’s degree in psychology but, having a doctorate’s degree would provide you with a larger variety of opportunities. Before applying for a job as a sports psychologist it would be wise to possess basic medical knowledge (since you’ll be working with athletes.) The most successful sports psychologists have had prior experience working in the psychology field, have gained experience teaching and conducting research and have participated in or watched various sports.

They were also more focused on their individual performances than that of their team and were in general highly motivated to do well in sport. Coaches and Sport Psychologists would therefore want to provide the pre-elite athletes the knowledge and exposure to these psychological skills so that the latter would exhibit a more elite profile and increase their chances of success. (Mahoney et al 1987 in White, 1993). Waldron and McCann state that elite athletes have the following characteristics: "mentally relaxed, physically relaxed, confident, focused on the present, highly energized, extraordinary awareness, in control and in the cocoon". Beginners should aspire and aim to gain these characteristics through mental skills training.

Few within the realm of competitive athletics would argue with the importance of being mentally prepared prior to an athletic competition as well as the need to maintain that particular mindset during a competitive contest. Nevertheless, recent research has shown that many athletes, coaches, and sporting administrators are still quite reluctant to seek out the services of a qualified sport psychologist, even if they believe it could help. One of the primary reasons for this hesitation appears to be a lack of understanding about the process and the mechanisms by which these mental skills affect performance. Unlike the “harder sciences” of sport physiology and biochemistry where athletes can see the tangible results in themselves or other athletes (e.g., he or she lifted weights, developed larger muscles, and is now stronger/faster as a result) (Gee, Chris J (2010): 386-402.) Using sports phycology has been found to give athletes multiple benefits, such as improvement, and that athlete being able to understand how to develop a growth and or positive mindset. Lastly another way that has been found to improve athletes is taking mental repetitions for their sport. One of the keys to Jeff’s improvement over the years, and certainly a key to him making a roster in the NFL, is his ability to take mental reps. The champion mindset recognizes

Today in sports athletes endure many mental and physical obstacles from there competitive environment. Many of today's best athletes work with sports psychologists to help them handle the pressures found in this competitive atmosphere. One question that athletes ask is, why cant they play in big games as well as they anticipate themselves doing? Sports psychologists feel that spending all their time on body conditioning and athletic skills will not ensure that athletes reach their peak performance.

When it comes to emotions and psychological well being athletes are not machines and they should not be expected to deny any mental struggles. Trainers, coaches, and physical therapists are there for their physical training but they also require psychological support. Those closest to the athletes need to learn to recognize the warning signs such as an overly self-critical nature, perfectionism, and fear of failure to be able to seek out help for the athletes. Sport governing bodies and organizations should induce protocols and procedures about how peers, coaches, and support staff can help when dealing with an athlete suffering from a mental illness. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has released “Mind, Body and Sport - Understanding and Supporting Student-Athlete Mental Wellness” which is a resource developed to provide information and outline the roles and responsibilities of sports staff and coaches as well as identifies the Models of service, and NCAA resources and policies. This is an extremely helpful and reliable source that other sporting organizations should follow. Also, high performance programs for both individual and team sports should require programs to have a team sport psychologist to be readily available for athletes, and to work with them on throughout the sporting season to be able to develop mental skills to better them on, and off the court. It should become the “responsibility (of the sport association) to provide the services and care to help each athlete reach his or her full potential” (Hainline 2014, 7) In some situations, Sport psychologists may find themselves having to address mental health issues with the athletes they counsel that they may find is out of their capability to deal with mental health problems. It may be

It has been identified that through sports psychology one can improve their physical ability and performance. Sports psychology is the study of how the mind, mental states and behaviour effect sporting performance. There are several sport psychology techniques, which have helped me become a better volleyball player. These techniques include planning for performance, controlling arousal levels, mental rehearsal and concentration.

Psychology is the study of the mind, its biology, and behavior if the individual. The father of psychology, Wilhelm Wundt, used objective measurement and controlled analyzing to find and emphasize separation between psychology and philosophy (McLeod). Wundt opened the Institute for Experimental Psychology at the University of Leipzig in Germany in 1879, using his background in physiology to study reactions and sensations (McLeod). There is no doubt that he, along with the later help of Sigmund Freud, launched what is now modern psychology. Psychology and its research helped the world understand the inner workings of the mind and how it affects everyone around us.