Concept of Anxiety and Concept of Arousal:

Anxiety: Since the concepts of good and evil did not come into existence before Adam ate the fruit,
which is now dubbed original sin, Adam had no concept of good and evil, and did not know that
eating from the tree was "evil." What he did know was that God told him not to eat from the tree.
The anxiety comes from the fact that God's prohibition itself implies that Adam is free and that he
could choose to obey God or not. After Adam ate from the tree, sin was born. So, according to
Kierkegaard, anxiety precedes sin, and it is anxiety that leads Adam to sin. Kierkegaard mentions that
anxiety is the presupposition for hereditary sin.

The medical definition of anxiety describes it is a state consisting of psychological and physical
symptoms brought about by a sense of worry of a perceived threat. It also goes on to state that
anxiety can differ according to the situation and the individual. Applied to the sporting arena this
means that a golfer for example may experience more anxiety playing in a national tournament
compared to a club competition. Psychologists generally differentiate between two types of anxiety.
Trait anxiety relates to an aspect of personality in which nervousness is a stable personality trait in
an individual. State anxiety on the other hand refers to temporary feelings of anxiety in a particular
situation.  For a lot of athlete’s anxiety can be a very unpleasant feeling with physiological symptoms
including a racing heartbeat, sweaty palms and muscle tension.

Arousal: Arousal is a physiological and psychological state of being awake or reactive to stimuli.

Arousal is a major aspect of many learning theories and is closely related to other concepts such as
anxiety, attention, agitation, stress, and motivation. While anxiety is predominately a psychological
state, arousal refers to a physiological state. Arousal can be described as the degree of energy
release and the intensity of readiness (fully prepare for something) of the performer or as drive or
excitation. There are levels of arousal that can produce optimal performance depends on the sport
and the individual. Arousal is a necessary ingredient in sports performance, although its level can
wither, facilitate or delay the execution of specific skills or task components. Arousal levels vary on a
continuum from deep sleep to high excitement.

Optimal arousal does not mean maximal arousal. Both over-arousal and under-arousal can
contribute to poor performance. An individual will perform a skill most successfully when the level of
arousal is optimal for that particular task. A poor performance may be due to low level of arousal,
perhaps resulting from distraction, disinterest or a depressed level of motivation. The other end of
the spectrum is a state of over-arousal, whereby the athlete is unable to perform the required
movement with precision because he/she is excessively tense and unable to concentrate.
Levels of arousal vary considerably between individuals and they respond to different stimuli to raise
or lower their levels of arousal. Arousal has drive properties, meaning that the manipulation of
factors that affect anxiety can increase or decrease arousal. Generally, athletes who have a high
disposition towards anxiety require less arousal than those who have a low disposition towards
anxiety.