CHAPTER

9
Psychologyand Sports
LEARNINGOBJECTIVES
students will learn and will be able to know about the:
After completion of the chapter,
1. Definition and Importance
of Psychology in Physical Education and Sports
2. Adolescent Problems and
Their Management
3. Team Cohesion and Sports

understand
is essential for us, if we want to
A basic knowledge of psychology is a
of physical education. The word Psychology
the psychological aspects and
and logas. Psyche' means soul
combination of two Greek words-psyche
the science of soul. After
some
means science. So, psychology means
logas was discarded
because there was no physical
time, this meaning of psychology
was considered as the science of mind
identity of soul. Later on, psychology it was a hard task to know
was also rejected as
but this meaning of psychology considered as the
After that, psychology was
about the mind of the other person. of psychology
With the passage of time, this meaning
SCience of consciousness. According to the
it is called thelscience of behaviour|
was also discarded and now
mind.
lost its soul. Then it lost its
conclusion of Woodworth, "First, psychology
It still has behaviour of a sort."
Then it lost its consciousness.

IMPORTANCE OF PSYCHOLoGY IN PHYSICAL

1. DEFINITION AND
EDUCATION AND SPORTS

Definition of Psychology
Meaning and behaviour in
the interpretation and explanation of
1. According to Ross, "It is
mental or physical terms.
in
"It is the science which seeks to interpret
2. According to James Drever, that is
or mental terms the
behaviour of living organism so far as
physical
physically conditioned."

3. According to Pillsbury, "Psychology

is the science of human behaviour."
4. to Crow and "Psychology is the study of the human
Crow,
According
behaviour and human relationship.'

PSYCHOLOGY AND SPORTS 9.1

 deals with the activities of th.
the
According to Woodworth, "P'sychology
ndvidual in elation to his environment.
science of behaviour."
C c o r d n g to Watson, "'syehology
is posilive
Psychology
eaning and Definition of Sports
of exercise on human bod
ports physiology deals with the(study of impact for pertormance, etc, Sport
health, fitness, sports training, fatigue, energy
act on human body and tho
Olomechanies is the study of various forces that
eftects that these forces produce. It also deals with the application of principlesof
and the mechanical analysis
physics to human motion and sports object motion,
ot activities. These two sub-disciplines of physical education play vital roles in
the enhancement of performance of sportspersons but only up to a certain Iimit,
At this stage, the sports psychology is helpful and it plays a vital role in the
enhancement of sports performance of sportspersons, because it has no such
1actors that affect
ut. indeed sports psychology is the study of psychological
the learning and performance of motor skills.) Due to its important role in the
enhancement of performance in sports field, it is necessary for us to know the
exact meaning of sports psychology. The following definitions may enable us to
understand the exact meaning of sports psychology:
According to John Lauther, "Sports psychology is an area which attempts to
apply psychological facts and principles to learning performance and associated
human behaviour in whole field of
sports.
According to K M Burns, "Sports psychology for physical education is that branch
of psychology which deals with the physical fitness of an individual through his
participation in games and sports."
According to Singer, "Sports psychology explores one's behaviour in athletics."
According to Clark and Clark, "Sports psychology is an applied psychology. It is
more concerned with the personalities, emotional or motivational
and
aspects of sports
physical activities. It employs many of the techniques used in psychology."
According to Brown and Makoney, "Sports psychology is the study of the
application of psychological principles to sports and physical activity, at all levels
ofskill improvement."
"Sports psychology is the scientific study of persons and their behaviours in
contexts and the practical application of that sports
knouwledge."
"Sports psychology deals with increasing performance by
managing emotions and
minimising the psychological effects of injuries and poor performance."
It is clear from the above-mentioned definitions that
sports psychology is the
study of behaviour and various psychological aspects in the field of sports.
Importance of Sports Psychology
It is a well-known fact that in the field of sports the
sports physiology and
sDorts biomechanics have achieved a very high level, and the
scope for further
development seems to be less. For example, the strength, speed or endurance.

9.2 HEALTH AND PHYSICAL

EDUCATION-AL
 Lich are the aspects of sprorts
vhich

I n the same Way, the development of

physiology
have reached almost a maximum
evel,
uration.
aturation. Fu
Further development or techniques has also reached near
ha only scope for further improvement in these spects
nspects isis less.
less. So.
So,
inmprovement
in sports
performance depends upon
svehological aspects of physical
education such as personality traits in relation
1SDorts and games, sports intelligence, motivation for
snd development, motivation, emotions, physical activities, growth
interest,
attitude, motor skill learning.
ndividual difterences, etc. As a matter of fact, sports
a psychology plays very
ital as well as vast role in the field of physical education. a

The following points

mayenable us to know the importance of sports
1. Enhances
psychology.
Physiological Capacities: Sports psychology plays a very
unique role in the enhancement of physiological
speed, capacities such as strength,
flexibility, etc. Motivation plays a major role in the enhancement
of physical capacity of sportspersons. It is a well-known as well as an
established fact that psychological
capacities or powers can increase
physiological capacities of individuals.
2. Assists to Learn Motor Skills:
Sports psychology plays a major role
in the learning of motor skills. Learning of motor skills depends on the
individual's level of readiness, i.e., physiological readiness and psychological
readiness. Physiological readiness in children is the development of the
necessary strength, flexibility and endurance as well as the development
of various organ systems so that they may use motor skills required in
the activity. Psychological readiness is related to the learner's state of
mind. It means the desire and willingness to learn the particular skill. In
psychological readiness, sports psychology plays an important role. Sports
psychology is also helpful in the cognitive stage, the associative stage and
the autonomous stage of motor skill learning.

EXTENSION ACTIVITY
Find out at least two sportspersons of national/international level. Ask them about the role
of sports psychology in the performance/ achievement in sports. Prepare a report and discuss
it in the class.

3. Aids in Understanding Behaviour:

Sports psychology helps in understanding
the behaviour of athletes or sportspersons
engaged in competitive sports. Coaches
also come to know the interest, attitude
towards physical activity, instincts, drives
and personality of sportspersons. It plays an
important role not only in the understanding
of behaviour but also in the modification of
behaviour in various sports situations. Sports psychology-an essential
science for sportsperson

PSYCHOLOGY AND SPORTS 9.3

 ays aa very imn
psychology plays
. Helps in C'ontrolling
motions: Sports
during practice as w
important
ole in controlling the
emotions of sportspersons well:
may bring spontaneous chan
Generally. these emotions
competition. are anger, disgust, fear, nog
These
in the behaviour of sportspersons.
etc. If these emotions are not control.
self-thinking, feeling of ownership,
well in time, the performance of a
sportsperson may decrease. Sre
a juncture.
It helps in balancino
psychology plays a vital role at such ne
arousal of emotions which further improves the pertormance.
5. Prepares Athletes Psychologically for Competitions: Sports psychole.
also plays an important role in preparing of athletes psychological.
logy
for competitions. In fact, it has become a trend to give psychological
ally
al
tips to athletes or team players before and after the com petition
tions.
That is why, sports psychologists' services are required tora national.
level and international-level teams. They create the willpower 'to win
in the players.

EXTRA EDGE
Sports psychology helps sportspersons in developing strategies to deal with anxiety, self
-confidence, concentration and motivation. It supports sportspersons in coping with sports
injuries and gives advice/ suggestions to sports coaches on team communication. In
helps athletes in dealing with sports-related physical, mental and emotional
fact, it
6. Supports Emotional Needs
stresses.
of Sportspersons: Stress, tension
and anxiety natural during practice period and
are

tournaments. There may be some other emotional

competitions or
problems such as
depression, frustration, anorexia, panic, etc. The
psychology may be helpful in such situations. knowledge of sports
and stress Techniques of relaxation
management can be applied on sportspersons who are
such problems. facing
Conclusively, it can be said that sports
a very vital role in
enhancing the performance of psychology plays
with the various mental sportspersons. It deals
qualities such as concentration, confidence,
emotional control, commitment,
etc., which are
performance in sports and games. important for successful
EXTENSION ACTIVITY
Choose any four
sportspersons of any game and complete the
the related questions.
following format after asking
Name of athlete Medals won at Name of sports
international level Psychological factors that played
a role in attaining medal

3.

9.4
HEALTH AND PHYSICAL UCATION-XI
 Helps in Reducing Stress: Sports psychology helps in reduc1ng stresSS
and tension of sportspersons during the competitions which ultimately
helps in inmproving their sports performance.
Helps in Developing Communication Skills and Cohesion: Sports
psychology helps in improving cohesion and communication.
9. Improves Performance: Sports psychology helps to improve sports
performance and personality of sportspersons by scientific ways of
modifying behaviour.

2. ADOLESCENT PROBLEMS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT

Meaning of Adolescence
The word'adolescence' is derived from the
Latin word 'adolesceker' which means "to
grow to maturity." In fact, it is a period
of uncertain beginning and ending that
cannot be dated exactly. But, generally, it is
considered that this period is the age ot 13
to19 years.This age begins with changes
in our glands of internal secretion
According to Jersield, "Adolescence
is the period through which a grouwing
person makes transition
maturity."
from childhood to
MLAN Adolescence

According to Stanley Hall, "Adolescence is the period of great stress and strain,
storm, and strife."
adolescents lack
In period of fast growth and development. Although
fact, it is a
feel and try to act like grown-ups.
the mental and social maturity, yet they
that period in which a child tries to be
According to Sadler, "Adolescence is "

capable of doing everything by himself.

to be self-dependent. During this period,
It means a child of this age group tends
many physical, physiological,
mental, social and emotional changes take place.
There is extra-ordinary increase in weight, height,
bones, muscles and strength.
start appearing ike men
Physical growth becomes rapid in the beginning. Boys
and girls like women.

Problems of Adolescents
Indeed, it
of this age group face many problems.
Owing to various changes, children face, are
18 a very delicate period of their life. The major
problems, which adolescents
described below.
physical changes
During adolescence, many bodily
or
1. Physical Problems:
these
takes place. As a result of
take place. Development of sex glands
and worried.
changes, adolescents feel restless
9.5
PSYCHOLOGY AND SPORTS
 tension and strife a r e comm
ntal Problems: During this age,
tress, mon
An nt
adolescent faces
faces many
me
nese traits create many mental problems.
Droblems such as difficulty in cooperating
and adjusting with others, others,
etc. a

They face anxiety

roblem of Aggressive Behaviour: In
this age group, children
ren tend t
tendto
on small matters. Then
Snow aggressive behaviour. They become aggressive y
become irritated easily. They try to gain importance.
4. Lack of Stability and Adjustment: An adolescent does not have complete
stability and he/she faces adjustment problem. His/Her behaviour
erratic. He/She is unable to adjust with other people. He/She fails t
coordinate with others. Not only outside but he/she cannot adjust in family
also. He/She finds it difficult to cooperate with his/her family members. He/
She feels that he/she is under pressure because of his/her parents. He/She
wants to have a free atmosphere at home without any rules or regulations,
5. Emotional Problems: An adolescent is full of emotions. Under the
ntuence of such emotions, he/she performs some uphill task, which seems
to in the beginning. Ross says, "The adolescent lives intensely
be impossible
emotional life, in which we can see once more the rhythm of positive and
negative phases of behaviour in his constant alternation between intense
excitement and deep depression."
Sometimes, the adolescent becomes so excited that he/she considers himself
herself to be at the top of the world and, sometimes, he/she finds
himself
herself in a state of depression. He/She feels emotionally disturbed.
6. Problems Related to Sex:
During adolescence, children face many
problems, which are related to sex. Sometimes, they become so eager that
they do not hesitate to leave their family. Ross says, "Sex, then, is the
fundamental fact of adolescence, if not all life. Like the overflow of great
river, it irrigates and fertilises great tracts of life's
territory."
7. Problems of Self-support: Each and every adolescent needs
He/She wants to make his/her own place in self-support.
society. He/She desires to live a
fruitful life. Ross says, "The adolescent desires to
find his place in the world.
The desire is a genuine need and refers to the need
for self-support. He faces
the problems of selection.
career He does not want to depend upon his family
members. He remains confused in-between
dependence and independence.
8. Feeling of Importance: Adolescents begin to think themselves as
important. They demand respect. But, sometimes, parents do not take
them seriously. They fail to understand the
feelings of adolescent. That's
why teenagers tend to feel unimportant and it becomes a
great problem.
9. Social Problems: It has been observed that
adolescents want to adopt
their own ways. But society creates many hindrances in
their paths, they
revolt against the social customs and
traditions. Friends are important
for this age group. They share their views, knowledge and experience
9.6 HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION-XI
 and hence. sometimes, the group acts
as a medium of
s
VIces and
spreading
and dissatisfaction. If this groujp gets proper guidance,
soC1al
it is the best
institution for developng soetal skills, confidence and comprehension.
Theseadolescents sometimes fall prey to intoxication, i.e., alcohol. drugs
and smoking.

Management of Problemns

Now, it is clear that adolescence is a stage of

stress and tension. But, up to some extent,

it depends upon the environment in which a

person lives. In certain societies, where good
environment is provided to adolescents,
they face less problems. But it cannot be
denied that it is the stage of problems
and if these problems are not solved, the
consequences can be dangerous. Parents
as well as teachers can play a vital role in
dealing with the problems of adolescents. It
seems to be easy but is difficult to manage.
It needs systematic efforts. The following Managing adolescents' problems

suggestions be beneficial for the

can

management of these problems:

1. Education for Motor Development: An adolescent should be provided
education for his/her motor development. He/She should be encouraged
his/
to various games and sports. 'Through these games and sports,
play
her motor development will take place properly. BN Jha says, "If left
constitution for the rest of life is the
unexercised at this stage, a flabby
result."
basic
2. Education of Psychology: Teachers and parents should have a
to understand the psychology
knowledge of psychology. They should be able
the problems and focus on
of an adolescent. It is essential to sort out
their management. Parents should provide the knowledge of psychology
be solved by adolescents
to the adolescent, because many problems can

themselves.
3. Sex Education: We are living society, where sex education is not
in a

in schools and colleges.

provided properly. However, it should imparted
be
sex. Most of the adolescents
An adolescent has attraction for the opposite
Teachers as well as parents should provide
develop wrong concept about sex. so that they may not
sexeducation to adolescents without hesitation,
literature.
other unreliable sources and may not reter to cheap
depend upon
should be giuven in exactly the
Dr Stroll says, "Information on sexual subjects on
with the same directness as information
Same tone ofvoice, in the same manner,

other subjects."
9.7
PSYCHOL0GY AND SPORTS
 provide
vOcational guidan
'Teachers should
keeping in view thoiir
Vocational Guidance:

guidance should be provided

toadolescents. This This guidance is mug
and interest. ust
ntelligence, capabilities, aptitude vocations. Kashyan a
fail to select
their and
Decause many adolescents
vocational guidance are
ofextremel,
P'uree say,"Vocational education and

great importance during the high school period."

Moral and religious should
education
5. Moral and Religious Education:
them mental peace. Religious
be provided to adolescents. This will give
educational curriculum. It is better to
education should not be included in
should be imparted in educational
provide it at home. But moral education
some problems like indiscipline.
institutions. Through moral education,

anxiety and worry can be tackled easily.

6. To Provide Suitable Environment: Adolescents should be provided
suitable environment for growth and development. They should be provided

proper facilities and opportunities for proper development. They should

be given proper or balanced diet, because malnutrition can create many

problems. They should be taught how to behave and how to live in an

appropriate manner. Proper attention on providing healthy environment

should be paid. Parents should look after the health problems of their
adolescents.
7. Adequate Independence: Teachers and parents should give adequate
independence to adolescents. Adolescents want freedom in every facet of
life. They wish to express their views independently. Their views should
be given proper weightage if those are really important. They should be
allowed to express their feelings and suggestions. They should be allowed
to go for picnic, mountaineering, hiking and trekking. Parents should not
impose their will upon them. They should try to understand the sentiments
of adolescents.
8. Social Education: Social education is also important in adolescence. As
we know that social virtues are necessary to lead a social life. So, these
virtues should be taught through social education. They should be taught
how to adjust themselves in the society. It is a fact that man is a social
animal. Our existence depends on society but too much dependeney is not
good for leading a good life.
As a matter of fact, adolescence is a stage of struggle, tension and anxiety. So.
Droper attention should be paid on the problems of adolescents so that their
development could be proper. Parents and teachers should always try to solve
the problems of adolescents so that they could give their valuable contribution
u a b l e contribution
development and upliftment of their nation iin
to the future

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL

9.8 EDUCATION*"
 3. TEAM COHESION AND SPORTS
ahesion in the ficld of sports refers to the
willingness in which a team
ticks together and performs together to achieve success. Team Cohesion in
cks together

rts has long been associated with the amount of "togetherness" displa yed
ateam both on and off the field. In sports, it is usually heard from coaches
that the team needs to 'stick together in order to perform at their maximum
and optimal potential and gain best results. Without proper cohesion, a team is
most likely to experience failure. However, it is not always true hecause some
sports team demand or require more cohesion than others in order to achieve
top performance.

Meaning and Definition of Team Cohesion

To have a clear-cut understanding about team cohesion, the following definitions
may be helpful.
which
According to Festinger, Schacter and Black, "The total field of forces,
act on members to remain in a group is called team cohesion."
The most accepted definition of cohesion was provided by Carron et al.,
of a group to
"Cohesion is a dynamic process, which is reflected in the tendency
for
stick together and remain united in the pursuit of its instrumental objectives
the satisfaction of the member's needs".
that is reflected in
Team cohesion is commonly defined as a dynamic process
of its goals and objectives.
the tendency of a group to remain united in the pursuit
are group goals met but everyone
feels
Cohesive team means only
that not
overall of the group. Individuals in a
like they have contributed to the
success

the entire group rather than their individual

cohesive team tend to focus more on
work towards the team goal.
selves and a r e more motivated to
that is reflected in the
It means that team cohesion is a dynamic process
remain united in the pursuit of its
tendency for a group to stick together and
goals and objectives. to
when a team remains united while working
Team cohesion happens
achieve a common goal.
described as the
it be concluded that team cohesion can be
Hence, can
of
between team members, the unity of the team, the feeling
strength of bonds
members and the degree to which
the team members
attraction between the team
concentrate their efforts to achieve team goals.

Cohesion
Types of Team
types of team
cohesion which are described below
There are two different
Cohesion relates to how
well the team members
(i) Task Cohesion. Task and objectives. It
to achieve c o m m o n goals
or group work together

9.9
PSYCHOLOGY AND SPORTS
 also refers to the degree to
which members of a team work together
to achieve common goals, for example,
to work ther to uWin a
together

championship.
A group with high task cohesion is composed of members/players uk
ho
share a common goal and who are motivated to0 coordinate their offo
ts
asa team to achieve that goal.

Team Cohesion

(ii) Social Cohesion. Social Cohesion refers to how well the team members
enjoy each other's company. In recreational sports, all of the players
may get on well with one another and enjoy playing the game regardless
of whether they win or lose.
In simple words, social cohesion is the level of unity of a team in social
aspects, e.g., in social support and friendsh1ps outside of sports.
Even though both types of team cohesion need to be present in a team but
some studies have suggested that social cohesion is not as essential for getting
success. Most of the coaches and athletes prefer teammates to like each other but
it seems that as they are completely focussed on their common task and share
the same goals and beliefs, they may get success even without social cohesion.

Factors Affecting Team Cohesion

There are various factors which affect team cohesion in some or the other way
1. Satisfaction. Team cohesion is linked with the extent to which teaD
members are pleased wth each others performance and behaviour
2. Size of the group. Team cohesion also depends on the size of the group
Team Cohesion is developed easily and quickly if there is a small group. On
the contrary, if the group 1s larger, there are less chances of good cohes1on
in the group. They may be divided on various issues in the group.

3. Similarity. Team cohesion develops easily if most of the members of the

aroup are of similar age, sex, skills, interests and attitudes,

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

DN-XI
9.10
 SpDort. Cohesive teams tend to
have coaches who provide support
team members and encourage them to
to
support
tendency have positive effect on cohesion.
one another. This type of

Stability. Team cohesion

develops if the same
members of the group
remain for a longer period.
6. Win loss records. Team cohesion developed if the team has
of winning various
a good record
championships.
7. Popularity. lf a sport is not
popular, there will be few persons who
so
will like play
to and few persons would like to watch or cheer the
Hence, this will lead to low level of cohesion. If it is popular, thereplayers.
will be
maximum chances of good team cohesion.
8. Minimum interaction time. Minimum interaction time for the team
member may lead to less cohesion in a team.
9. Lack of communication. If the captain and coach of the team lack
communication with other members of the team, the team is likely to have
lower level of cohesion.
10. Struggle for power. Some individual athletes have self-centred intentions
which push them to be selfish in helping the team to achieve its goals,
rather they choose to take advantage gaining self success.
11. Temperament collision. There may be a number of players in a team
who are short tempered or become angry frequently. In such a situation,
it becomes difficult to have good team cohesion.

How to Improve Team Cohesion

cohesion.
There are following points which are helpful in improving team
education teacher
1. Set team goals. This is a significant step for a physical
coach to set clear-cut goals for the team to achieve.
or
coach or physical education teacher
2. Encourage communication. A
members of the team.
should try to encourage communication among the
communicate with one another, the
If the members of a team are free to
team cohesion is expected to be improved.
team spirit is
3. Practice team building. Building mutual goal setting and
the difference in the
the key to have team unity. It can be done by reducing
stress on achieving set objectives.
roles played by each member and laying
as well as team. The
coach or physical
4. Provide feedback to individuals
feedback to individual players and team
education teacher should provide
ask for opinions of players and listen
members from time to time. Regularly
to any suggestions from them.
their
If the team members are doing
5. Reward effort and performance. rewards.
best efforts and having good performance,
they should be given
team cohesion.
This act will definitely help in improving
9.11
PSYCHOLOGY AND SPORTS
 o r t m e . The
forlong period
a coach
ake efforts to stav togethet
make efforts to stay
the memher.
rs
Pyslcal education teacher should
team members stay
together for.
a
Ogether for a long neriod of time, If the successes and tailures together
n g time, they will experience a range
of
and cohesive,
d the team members are more
to be productive
likely
for success. The coach/physical education
on
**stablish an environment
environment for success. Such
eacher should try to establish a favourable
team cohesion.
pe of environment is helpful in improving
. Work together to achieve vour goal. Efforts should always be done to
work together to achieve the goals of the team by the coach or physical
education teacher. There should not be any gap between words and action
of the coach or teacher. The coach should lay max1mum stress on group

cohesion. The coach/teacher should try to motivate team members

members to
to
enhance team cohesion.
. Celebrate success as a team. Each success should be celebrated not
on individual basis but on the basis of a team. Such celebration are very
fruitful in improving team cohesion.
In conclusion, team cohesion can be used as a significant tool by coaches
and physical education teachers to maintain participation in sports. Team
cohesion can be improved significantly if the team has started a season with
poor performance and gains little satisfaction from their results.