SPS231

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Differentiate between sports, sport psychology, and
athletes.
• Describe the history of sport psychology
• Explain the main activities carried out by sport
psychologist and what is school of thoughts in psychology
• Explain the careers in psychology and difference areas of
psychology
 Definitions of Sports and Athletes

SPORT will be defined as an organized and competition

activity, involving physical exertion and serious competitors
(Nixon, 1984).

SPORT also involved rules and procedures to govern the

activities (Freeman, 2001), and help decide winners and losers
(Ampofo-Boateng, 2002a).

THE COMPETITORS in sports may be other players, against

the clock or natural objects like climbing a mountain (Leonard,
1998).
 Definition of Sport Psychology

• Involving the scientific study of the behavioural (action), affective

(emotion), and cognitive (thought) reactions to sport behaviour and sport
settings by sport-participants and fans (Wann, 1997)
• Study of the psychological and mental factors that influence and
influenced by participation and performance in sport, exercise and
physical activity, and the application of knowledge gained through this
study to everyday settings (Association for the Advancement of Applied
Sport Psychology – AAASP)
• “The science of psychology applied to sport” (Singer, 1978)
• Sports psychology is the study of the interaction between a
person’s psychology and their participation in sport.
• Scientific study of behaviour, affective, and cognitive reactions
to sports settings for both participants and fans.
Definition – emphasizes on :
• Importance of 3 components of behaviour, affective and cognitive in
sport.
• Application of sport psychology to deal with sport-related problems.

Origin of Psychology (Greek derivation)

• Psyche means “mind or spirit”
• Logos means “sayings or speaking of”
• Literally means “speaking of the mind”
 Objectives of Sport Psychology
2 main objectives:

1. To understand how psychological factors

affect in individual’s performance

2. To understand how participation in

sport and exercise affects one’s
psychological development, health, and
well-being.
 Importance of sport psychology in sports

In professional or competitive sport, this study is important because:

• A person’s psychology or state of mind can have a significant effect upon
their sporting performance.
• The selection of competitors for elite sport is influenced by an
assessment of their individual psychology, as well as other factors such as
recent performance and fitness.
• Competition is tight, athletes are physically fit, and the margin for victory
is slim.
• Managers, coaches and players are realizing that to get ahead they need
an added resource, and that resource is a trained mind.
 Role of sport psychology
Research
Advance knowledge within the
field
- Running program and anxiety
reduction
Share findings with colleagues
and participants in the field.
- Allows for advances,
discussion,
and debate at professional
meetings and in journals.
Teaching Consulting
Individuals or teams - Develop
Teaching university psychological skills to enhance
courses in either performance and training.
psychology or
- U.S. Olympic Committee
exercise and sport
science - Major universities to small
colleges
- Coaching clinics and
workshops
Back to
school
 Influence of Sport Psychology

Counseling Strategies
- in areas that affect the
- enhance performance
athlete

Back to
school
 Influence of Sport Psychology
• Improve athletes performance
• Recognize and overcome the pressures associated with
sports competition
• Acquire psychological skills to deal with athlete’s injuries
• Deal with problems of choking during competition
• Improve the level of cohesion within team to improve
performance
• Develop self-confidence for competitions
• Stay focused during competitions

Back to
school
Activities of Sport Psychology
 Applied activities
• Consulting activity
• Provide skills training for athletes and coaches in certain areas.
(e.g: reduce stress, improve mental health)
• Through specific routines – D.M.E
• DIAGNOSE : nature of problem affecting performance
• METHODS : develop methods to help improve performance
• EVALUATION : problem solved or not. If not, develop new techniques

• Clinical sport psychologist activity

• Trained in techniques to allow psychologist to
diagnose and treat athletes with personality and
emotional problems.
 Applied activities
• Educational sport psychological activity
• Trained in sport and exercise psychology, physical education,
kinesiology and human movement and how they influence athletes’
behaviour and performance.
• Helps to deal with sport-related problem :
• Arousal control
• Concentration
• Goal setting
• Injury rehabilitation
• Mental preparation
• Stress and stress management
• Development of self-confidence
• Improvement of communication skills among athletes
 Academic activities
• Teaching
• Teaching both sports and traditional psychological courses at
graduate and undergraduate levels.
• Conduct training programmes for athletes and coaches.
• Sport-related courses
• Traditional psychology courses
• Conduct of training programmes

• Research
• Using research to increase, change and modify knowledge, theory
and practice in sport psychology.
• Includes both quantitative and qualitative research
methods.
• Research findings through journals and conferences.
 School of Thought in Psychology
 Structuralism developed by Edward Titchener with an analysis of the mind or
consciousness. Basic elements such as sensation, perception, and images that constitute
conscious mental process were studied.

 Functionalism is a study of the function of consciousness developed by William James

(1942-1910) and did not survive as a distinctive approach to the study of psychology.

 Behaviorism founded by John Watson that study observable behavior that rejected a
study of mental elements and conscious process.

 Gestalt established by Max Weitheimer (1880-1943) that originated from German

word means “form” or “shape”. It stressed that perceptions were more than the sum of
its parts.
 Psychoanalysis- established by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) that believed in
the significance of unconscious thoughts and feelings in influencing a person’s
development.

 Humanistic- emphasized a person’s freedom to think and act and an existence

of his or her potential for growth. It was founded by Abraham Maslow in
the 1960’s and developed because of dissatisfaction with the behavioral and the
psychoanalytic school of thought
 History & Development of Sport Psychology
Norman Triplett (1897)
• Conducted first experiment in sport psychology.
• Social facilitation/audience effects.
• Cyclists rode with competitors recorded faster time than riding alone, due to
release of energy and motivation to increase their effort.

Coleman Roberts Griffith (1925)

• Father of ‘American’ sport psychology
• Established the first sport psychology laboratory at the University of Illinois
(1925)
• Worked with Chicago Cubs – to improve hitting

Franklin M. Henry (1938)

• Father of Motor Skills/Behaviour
• Established first graduate program at the University of California,
Berkeley
• Conducted research in acquisition of motor skills and on the
influence of psychology in sports.
History & Development of Sport Psychology
Sport Psychology After 1950…
• 1966 - Formation of North American Soc. for the Psych. of Sport and
Physical Activity (NASPSPA)
• 1967 - First Annual Meeting of NASPSPA
• Bruce Ogilvie (Father of Applied Sport Psychology)
• Problem Athletes and How to Handle Them (book)
• begins to consult with athletes and teams
• 1978 - United States Olympic Committee (USOC) hired first ever sport
psychologist as its expert adviser.
• 1986 - First applied journal:The Sport Psychologist
 Career in Psychology
Work as …….. Counsellors? Therapists? Teachers?

A psychologist – a person who has completed a graduate education in

psychology, and has been awarded a doctorate (Ph.D.) degree in psychology.

A clinical psychologist – has a Ph.D. degree in clinical psychology, with some

time spent under a supervisor to acquire the skills in diagnosing and treating a wide
spectrum of abnormal behaviours; but cannot examine the underlying physical or
neurological causes of the abnormal behaviours and are not allowed to prescribe
drugs to deal with abnormal behaviours.

A psychiatrist – is a medical doctor who has spent some time to be

trained as a clinical psychologist.The training involves the acquisition of
skills such as, diagnosing and treating abnormal behaviours. A psychiatrist
can prescribe drugs as part of the treatment regime to deal with
abnormal behaviour.
Areas in Sport Psychology

1. Clinical Sport Psychologists are trained to deal with the

various emotional problems and personality disorders
experienced by athletes (e.g. depression and eating
disorders).
2. Educational Sport Psychologists are individuals with an
understanding of the principles of sport psychology
who attempt to transmit this information to athletes
and coaches. They attempt to educate interested
parties on the fundamental of sport psychology.
Areas in Sport Psychology

3. Social Psychology include leadership theory and styles, the

psychological aspects of effective coaching, understanding
the factors that influence group cohesion and group
dynamics, effects of audience characteristics on athletic
performance (psychosocial and behavioral factors also
influence sport performance).
4. Personality Psychology not only rely on the athlete but also
the roles of growth, development, coaching, training and
motivation.
Areas in Sport Psychology

5. Cognitive Psychology is the technical term of thinking. It

studies the ways in which the timing and content of the
athlete’s thoughts and emotions influence performance
quality and outcome. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
explains performance success and failure among the
athletes.
6. Biological Psychology is defined as the inference of
psychological processes, emotional states and
performance outcomes. It studies the mechanisms of the
muscle and the nervous system that are associated with
performance quality.