Meaning, Definition and Concept of Sports Psychology Dr. Anshul Singh Thapa

Meaning of Sports Psychology Sports psychology is the science in which the principle of psychology are applied in sports or exercise setting. These principles are often applied to enhance performance. Sports and exercise psychology is the study of effect of psychological and emotional factors on sports and exercise performance, and the effect of involvement in sports and exercise on psychological and emotional factors.

Since mid 1980s, sports psychology more and more linked to areas that go beyond sports performance. The most notable areas of study have been psychophysiological and exercise psychology Psychophysiological research examines the physiological (somatic) responses that influence or accompany cognition (thinking and emotion) and performance. For example, if poor performance is attributed to high anxiety then it is interesting to know whether change in muscle tension, heart rate or other somatic responses also inhibit performance. Rather than examine sports performance, exercise psychology focuses on cognitive, psychophysiological, and situational factors that influence exercise behavior. For example studying the causes for dropping out exercise, factors that influence an exerciser’s perception of his or her ability.

Historical development of Sports Psychology Historical development of sports psychology can be studied under the following three headings: Origin and Development Development of Organizations and Associations Development of Research and Literature

Origin and Development Sports Psychology as a separate field of sports science and it is young and still growing. Perhaps the first research being conducted in the area of Sports Psychology was in 1897 by Norman Triplett. He studied the influence of spectators on the performance of cyclist. He concluded from his research that the presence of others was capable of improving performance in cyclists. Though Triplett provided one of the earliest researches in the field of sports psychology, he was not the first person to systematically carry out sports psychology research over a period of time. Coleman Roberts Griffith often referred to as the father of Sports Psychology in North America, is credited with establishing the first Sports Psychology laboratory in the University of Illinois in 1925.

Contd.. Sports psychology research was at a standstill in the 1940s and 1950s, during this time was the establishment of motor learning laboratories, including those founded by John Lawther at Pennsylvania State University, Clarence Ragsdale at the University of Wisconsin, C. H. McCloy at the University of Iowa, and perhaps most notably, the late Franklin Henry at the University of California at Berkeley. In 1960s Bruce Ogilvie done the tremendous work in the field of Applied Sports Psychology, the importance of his work was better understood today then during that time. Because of his pioneer work with personality and applied sports psychology, Bruce Ogilvie is referred to as the father of Applied Sports Psychology. If Coleman Roberts Griffith is the father of sports psychology, Bruce Ogilvie is the father of Applied Sports Psychology then the title for the father of Modern sports Psychology should go to Rainer Martens former Professor of Sports Psychology at the University of Illinois and the founder of Human Kinetics Publishers. In modern times Rainer Marten has done a lot for the development of Sport Psychology in North America.

Development of Organizations and Associations A number of professional organizations and associations have been developed since 1960s to provide forum for researchers in the area of Sports Psychology, Sports Sociology, Motor Learning and motor development to meet and exchange ideas and research. The International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP) is an organization devoted to promoting research, practice, and development in the discipline of sport psychology throughout the world. The ISSP is a multidisciplinary association of scholars whose research interests focus on some aspects of sport psychology. In North America a small group of sports psychologists from Canada and United States met in Dallas, Texas, to discuss the feasibility of forming a professional organization distinct from the AAPHERD. The effort of this small group came into fruition in 1966 when it was recognized by ISSP. The name of this new organization was the North American Society for the Psychology of Sports and Physical Activity (NASPSPA).

Contd.. Shortly after the emergence of NASPSPA in United States another significant professional organization came into existence in Canada in 1969. This organization was named the Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sports Psychology (CSPLSP). Somewhat concurrent with the emergence of Canadian society, the Sports Psychology Academy (SPA) emerged in the United States as one of six academics within the National Association for Sports and Physical Education (NASPE). NASPE is an association within the AAPHERD. The Association of Advancement of Applied Sports Psychology (AAASP) was formed in the fall of 1985. AAASP has emerged in the 1990s as the dominant associations for the advancement of applied sports psychology as well as research in the different part of the world.

Development of Research and Literature Dan Landers (1995) referred to the period of time from 1950 to 1980 as the “formative years” for sports psychology. During this time, the sports psychology began to emerge as a discipline somewhat different from exercise physiology and motor learning. During these years’ numbers of researches, initiatives and textbooks were published. These early initiatives paved the way for emergence of sports psychology as an academic subdiscipline within Physical Education and Psychology. Some of the early textbooks in­cluded Psychology of Coaching, by John D. Lawther (1951); Problem Athletes and How to Handle Them, by Bruce Ogilvie and Tom Tutko (1966); Motor Learning and Human Performance, by Robert Singer (1968); Psychology of Motor Learning, by Joseph B. Oxendine (1968); Psychology and the Superior Athlete, by Miroslaw Vanek and Bryant Cratty (1970); So­cial Psychology and Physical Activity, by Rainer Martens (1975); and Social Psychology of Sport, by Albert Carron (1980).