WEEK 10: 3/09/15 – 3/13/15 PSYCHOLOGY 310: SPORT & INJURY PSYCHOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF MARY INSTRUCTOR: DR. THERESA MAGELKY Self-Talk in Sport Injury Rehabilitation

Introduction An injured athlete’s thoughts and things they say to themselves regarding their injury influences their emotions, behaviors, and recovery outcomes The extent, frequency, content, and type of self-talk can vary depending on the situation and the individual athlete

The Concept of Self-Talk Multiple definitions of self-talk have been proposed The authors define self-talk by the following guidelines:  Self-talk represents verbalizations or statements addressed to the self  It is multidimensional in nature (e.g., with frequency)  It has interpretive elements associated with the statements employed  It is dynamic  It serves as a function for the athlete (e.g., it can be instructional and/or motivational)

Types & Functions of Self-Talk in Sport Overt/covert self-talk Assigned and self-determined self-talk Negative and positive self-talk Instructional and motivational self-talk

Overt/Covert Self-Talk Self-talk ranges on a continuum from overt to covert Overt self-talk involves externally verbalized statements, allowing others to hear what is said Covert self-talk is defined as verbalizations made by a small voice inside one’s head, or an inner dialogue that cannot be heard by others Most athletes engage in one or both forms of self-talk

Assigned & Self-Determined Self-Talk Assigned self-talk – the individual has no self- determined control over the statements (e.g., the statements are given to the athlete by someone else such as the sport medicine professional Self-determined (freely chosen) self-talk – the individual completely determines their own statements Self-determined self-talk will likely offer more motivational benefits for the athlete  According to cognitive evaluation theory, humans have an innate desire to feel competent and self-determined  Thus, self-talk chosen by the athlete should have positive effects on their self-determined motivation

Negative & Positive Self-Talk Self-talk is typically conceptualized as either positive or negative Positive self-talk – is a form of praise and used to keep one’s focus of attention in the present Negative self-talk – a form of criticism, presents barriers to achieving because it is inappropriate, anxiety-provoking, and/or irrational It is suggested positive self-talk facilitates performance whereas negative self-talk is debilitating to performance

Instructional & Motivational Self-Talk Instructional self-talk – increases attentional focus on relevant technical aspects of performance  Aids in the execution of precision-based tasks that require skill, timing, and accuracy Motivational self-talk – increases effort, enhances confidence, and/or creates positive moods  Motivational self-talk is suggested to be more effective than instructional self-talk for the execution of strength and endurance based tasks

Instructional & Motivational Self-Talk Instructional self-talk has been further divided into 2 more specific functions: 1. Skills-specific instructions – focus on the technique of a skills; might include statements (e.g., “keep the hands together”) 2. General self-talk – includes statements about strategies that are important for performance (e.g., “stay in second until the last bend”) Motivational self-talk has been further divided into 3 more specific motivational functions: 1. Motivational Arousal – use of self-talk in psyching up, relaxing, and controlling arousal 2. Motivational Mastery – mental toughness, focus of attention, confidence, and mental preparation 3. Motivational Drive – concerned with goal achievement and consequently is associated with maintaining or increasing drive and effort

Conceptual Framework of Self-Talk (Hardy, Oliver, & Tod, 2009) Conceptual framework of self-talk explains factors believed to mediate the self-talk performance relationship. Consists of 4 factors which influence performance: 1. Cognitive 2. Motivational 3. Behavioral 4. Affective

Research on Self-Talk in Sport Injury Rehabilitation Research suggests that self-talk is useful for joint restoration, muscular strengthening, and rehearsing sport-related skills whilst injured Research has found a correlated between recovery time and the use of positive self-talk  Athletes who healed faster reported greater use of goal setting, imagery, and self-talk as compared to those who healed slower  Findings showed support for an athletes’ ability to influence and control their thoughts during injury and rehabilitation process and the positive use of self-talk during rehabilitation Study (Gould, Eklund, & Jackson, 1993) found that 80% of Olympic wrestlers interviewed reported they used thought control strategies to cope with injuries

Self-Talk Techniques in Sport Injury Rehabilitation Examples of self-talk techniques in sport injury rehabilitation: Thought-stopping Reframing Intervention efficacy beliefs

Thought-Stopping Thought-stopping – used to initially stop an inappropriate (or negative thought) and then allow a more functional (or positive thought) to be used in its place Steps of Thought-Stopping: 1. Increase athlete’s awareness of inappropriate self-talk they are using (e.g., record the number of times an inappropriate or negative comment about self is made) 2. Use a trigger to stop the inappropriate thoughts/talk such as a cue word, image, or action (e.g., Say “stop” or visualize the image of a stop sign as a reminder to stop inappropriate self-talk statements 3. Use a more functional (positive) statement to replace the previous inappropriate negative self-talk

Reframing Technique Reframing – technique used to modify an athlete’s thoughts and self-statements (e.g., to challenge negative appraisals especially in anxiety-provoking situations)  Examples of Reframing of Self-Talk  “This is agony! I can’t believe I went in for that tackle!”  Reframe this statement to: “I can handle this, I’m tough. I am not the only person ever to be injured. The pain prevents me from doing more damage.”  “My knee is not strong enough. I need more rehab before testing it in training.”  Reframe this statement to: “My knee has been tested throughout rehabilitation and it has survived. My trainers have told me it is ready. I am ready for training.”

Intervention Efficacy Beliefs Intervention efficacy beliefs – this has to do with the belief or expectancy that an intervention will be effective It is ineffective to use self-talk techniques with an injured athlete who does not expect that it will be useful for their rehabilitation Also, the sports medicine professional’s belief in the use of self-talk is also important for it to be effective

References Arvinen-Barrow, M., & Walker, N. (2013). The Psychology of Sport Injury and Rehabilitation (1 st ed.). Routledege.