YESSODA DEVADAS 012019072657

TUTORIAL (WEEK 3)

1. What is meant by the term stress?

• Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or thought
that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stress is your body's reaction to a challenge
or demand.

2. Explain two psychological symptoms of stress

• Depression or general unhappiness

• Anxiety and agitation
• Moodiness, irritability, or anger
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Loneliness and isolation
• Other mental or emotional health problems

3. Identify three main stressors in the context of sport.

• Competitive stressors – injury, pressures leading up to game day, the opposition

• Organizational stressors – training issues, interpersonal conflict with coaches, travel
• Personal stressors – lifestyle issues, financial issues, outside commitments

4. What do we mean by the term personality? Why is it important for sports psychologists to
know about personality?

• Personality is defined as the characteristic sets of behaviors, cognitions, and emotional

patterns that evolve from biological and environmental factors.
• It is important for sports psychologists to know about personality because individuals behave
in different ways, so it is important to understand them. Better understanding can lead to
better motivational or training strategies. Performers will relate better to those that understand
them.
 YESSODA DEVADAS 012019072657

5. By using an example from sport, outline the social learning approach to personality.

• For example, in football, a novice player may be inspired by the positive attitude of the more
experienced players in training. They then copy this behaviour and receive positive comments
from the coach.

6. Discuss theories that are used to explain traits and states.

• Traits - In psychology, trait theory (also called dispositional theory) is an approach to the
study of human personality. Trait theorists are primarily interested in the measurement
of traits, which can be defined as habitual patterns of behavior, thought, and emotion.
• States - State theories such as Bandura's (1977) Social Learning Theory emphasize the
importance of observing and modeling the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of
others. Social learning theory explains human behavior in terms of continuous reciprocal
interaction between cognitive, behavioral, an environmental influences.