1. Sport and Exercise Psychology
Chapter 9

2. Building Character

3. Building Confidence and Believing

4. Questions addressed…
What is the personality profile of an elite athlete?
How does anxiety influence performance?
What are the psychological benefits of participation in regular physical activity?
What factors influence an individual’s adherence to a rehabilitation program?
How does self-confidence influence performance?
What are effective intervention strategies to enhance performance?

5. Exercise and Adherence
Estimates reveal that nearly 50% of patients fail to comply with their medical treatment.
Adherence to supervised exercise programs ranges from 50% to 80%.
Only 30% of individuals who begin an exercise program will be exercising at the end of 3 years.

6. Exercise Adherence Program Design
Increase social support available to participants.
Offer programs at convenient times and locations.
Goal-setting and periodic assessment.
Enthusiastic leaders.
Strong communication.
Establishment of rapport.

7. PERSONALITY What is the definition of personality?
Can you change an athletes personality?
How does personality effect performance?

8. ANXIETY AND AROUSAL

9. Anxiety and Arousal
Anxiety is a subjective feeling of apprehension accompanied by a heightened level of physiological arousal.
Trait and state anxiety
Trait: integral part of an individual’s personality.
State: emotional response to a specific situation that results in feelings of fear, tension, or apprehension.
Find the optimal level of arousal that allows for peak performance.

10. How to Reduce Anxiety
Use physical activity to release stress & anxiety.
Develop precompetition routines.
Simulate games in practice
Promote use of positive self-talk
Help athletes keep errors in perspective
Keep athletes’ focus on present, not past events
Incorporate relaxation training as necessary

11. GOAL SETTING

12. How Goal-setting Works
Focuses attention
Mobilizes effort
Fosters persistence
Promotes development of new learning strategies

13. SMART Goal-setting S = specific goals versus general
M = measurable goals to monitor progress
A = action-oriented goals
R = realistic but achievable with effort
T = time frame for achievement

14. Principles of Goal-setting
Write goals down
Incorporate different types of goals
Set short- and long-term goals
Establish individual goals within the team context
Determine goals for practice and competition
Ensure goals are internalized
Regularly evaluate progress

15. SELF TALK

16. Self-Talk
Cognitive approach – relationship between individual’s thoughts and performance
Positive or negative influence
“Self-talk occurs whenever an individual thinks, whether making statements internally or externally.”

17. Modifying Self-Talk Thought-stopping Replacing negative thoughts with
positive thoughts
Countering
Reframing

18. MENTAL IMAGERY

19. Mental Imagery
Process of using all the senses to re-create or create an experience in the mind
The person ‘sees’ the image, ‘feels’ the movements and/or environment in which it takes place, and ‘hears’ the sounds of the movement
Systematic process that is consciously controlled by the person, who takes an active role in creating and manipulating the images and structuring the experience.
Imagery in conjunction with physical practice can improve performance

20. Types of Imagery External imagery Internal imagery
Athletes see themselves performing as if watching a videotape of their performance
Internal imagery
Athletes construct the image of the performance from the perspective of their own eyes, as if they were beside their body when performing

21. Strategies to Enhance Imagery
Imagery must be taught correctly and practiced regularly
Practice imagery in a variety of circumstances
Create rich, vivid, detailed images that are multisensory in nature
Focus on rehearsing successful, perfect responses
Tailor imagery to the specific needs of the individual
Technology can enhance the effectiveness of imagery.

22. THEORIES OF EXERCISE ADHERANCE

23. Classic learning theories
Learning a new behavior is achieved by altering many small behaviors that compose the overall behavior.
Break behavior down into smaller goals to be achieved.
Work incrementally toward goal.
Reinforcement is important; provide rewards and incentives (both immediate and long-range).

24. Transtheoretical Model
“Stages of change”:
Precontemplation
Contemplation
Preparation
Action
Maintenance
Termination
Self-efficacy - confidence about his/her abilities in a situation)

25. Sports Psychologist https://youtu.be/xfwB0BDJ_A8

26. SALARY Salary for Sports Psychologist is $40,000-$2 million+
Training/Educational Requirements: Master’s degree
Median Salary: $55,000 per year
Job Prospects: Good

27. WORK ENVIRONMENT
The typical working environment for sports psychologists may vary based on the employer they work for. They may work for a sports team, in a high school or college, or facility directly, or they may work in their own private practice. In whatever place they work, these psychologists have an office where they may conduct research. If they treat patients, they will have exam rooms to handle all consultations and associated procedures. Sports psychologists also may travel to their clients