Unit 11 -
Psychology and Sports
Introduction
The origin of psychology is derived from the
Greek words-psyche’ and ‘logos’, where psyche means the soul or mind and logos
means to talk about or science of study. Greek philosophers believed that soul
was responsible for various mental activities like learning, thinking, feeling
etc. It is generally believed that soul was the essence or true being of an organism,
the cause and principle of life. In eighteenth century, psychology was defined
as ‘a science of mind’ while in later stage was recognised as ‘a science of
behaviour’ which includes physical as well as mental behaviour.
Definitions
of Sports Psychology
1. Sports psychology is the ‘scientific study
of the individual, which deals with behaviour and experience. —
Wood, Worth Jhon B. Watson
2. “Sports psychology is an area which attempts
to apply psychological facts and principles to learning performance and
associated human behaviour in the whole field of sports” — John D. Lawther
Stress,
Anxiety and its Management
Stress is a condition or circumstance,
which can disturb the normal physical and mental health of an individual.
Management
of Stress
Following are some of the stress management
techniques:
(1) Stressed persons usually remain busy in
talking about their own stress. They become pessimistic. You can be affected by
their views. So, always avoid such people who remain under stress.
(2) One should try to stay cool and confident
when there is stress. Remaining in such a state can be helpful in reducing
stress.
(3) Developing various type of hobbies, such as
gardening. TV watching, swimming, listening to music is also significant for
reducing stress.
(4) For proper management of stress it is
important to achieve high level of physical fitness. The goal of stress
management is to use stress advantageously, not to eliminate all stress from
one’s life. Too little or too severe stress lowers stress the performance.
(5) Physical activity is one of the best means
of releasing stress. It increases the fitness of individuals. Indeed, it has
been seen that the individuals who are physically fit have a better health
status. They are more resistant to the effects of stress than less physically
fit persons.
(6) The person who is under stress, should try
to build his self-confidence. He should have enough confidence to deal with the
stress.
(7) Techniques of relaxation, such as deep
breathing, massage, laughing, whole-heartedly, practicing yogasanas, pranayama,
meditation and chanting of ‘Om’ etc. in yoga, Shavasana, Makarasana,
Bhujangasana, Shalabhasana, Suptasana, Vakrasana, Nadishodhan, Ujjayee and
Bharamari pranayama as well as meditation are very beneficial for relaxation.
(8) For reducing stress Alcohol and drugs are
also used for reducing stress but these are harmful to a person. These
techniques may deal with the stress in the short team but in the long term they
can adversely affect the health of person.
(9) It has been observed that most of the
people always remain worried without any solid reason. In fact, most of these
things never happen in life. So why waste all that energy worrying needlessly.
Anxiety is an
unpleasant state of linear turmoil, often accompanied by nervous behaviours,
such as pacing back and forth, somatic complaints and rumination. It is the
subjectively unpleasant feeling of dread over something unlikely to happen,
such as the feeling of imminent death. It is a “hardwired” response that ensures
survival of the human species. Sporting competition promotes similar
psychological and bodily responses because there is often a threat posed toward
the ego, and your sense of self-esteem. Essentially, when the demands of
training or competition exceed one’s perceived ability, anxiety is the
inevitable outcome.
Types
of Anxiety
1. Somatic
Anxiety: It
refers to the physiological and affective elements of the anxiety experience
that develop directly from autonomic arousal. Somatic anxiety is reflected in
such responses as rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, clammy hands,
butterflies in the stomach and tense muscles.
2. Cognitive
anxiety: It
is the mental component of anxiety and is caused by negative expectations about
success or by negative self-evaluation. Cognitive anxiety is characterized by
‘conscious awareness of unpleasant feeling about oneself or external stimuli,
worry, disturbing visual images. In sports, cognitive anxiety is most commonly
manifested by negative performance expectation and, thus, negative
self-evaluation.
Causes
of Anxiety
1. Very high expectation is the factor that
causes anxiety in the expectation of success.
2. While stress and uncertainty may motivate
some athletes, they induce anxiety in others.
(3) For athletes in high-contact sports such as
boxing and martial arts, the possibility of getting hurt can also be a source
of anxiety. Typically, this anxiety causes some critical changes in technique.
(4) Also, spectators can have a huge impact on
how athletes feel. In fact, studies of the home advantage phenomenon show that
teams playing at their home venue win, on an average.
(5) Participants in individual sports have been
shown generally to suffer more anxiety before, during, and after a competition
than participants in team sports
This is because the sense of isolation and
exposure is much greater in sports such as triathlon, tennis and snooker than
in the relative anonymity of field sports.
Management
Techniques of Anxiety (Sports Anxiety)
The following will help promote better coping,
and give you an opportunity to control some of the issues that lead to anxiety
symptoms:
1. Exercise/Physical
Activity:
Exercise is not just about getting fit. The overwhelming majority of those that
experience anxiety do not engage in enough physical activity, and many experts
believe that this is one of the issues that cause anxiety. Physical activity
improves the immune system; release calming neurotransmitters (known as
endorphins), tires the muscle and burns away stress hormones. It’s incredibly
important for controlling stress and anxiety, and incredibly important for
coping.
2.
Herbal Tools: There
are several supplements you can consider to help you cope with anxiety.
Chamomile, Kavam Valerian, Passionflower, and St. John’s Wort all produce
sedation/relaxation without side effects. Always talk to a doctor through
before starting any herbal anxiety treatment.
3.
Meditation and Yoga: Both
meditation and yoga have the potential to improve your ability to cope with
stress. They teach healthier breathing, and poor breathing is one of the issues
that make anxiety symptoms worse, especially during anxiety and panic attacks.
Many people believe the spiritual qualities of meditation and yoga is also
helpful for curing anxiety.
4.
Positive Thinking: Learning
to think positive is also an important step in learning to cope with your
anxiety. It may sound a bit “new age,” but the truth is that anxiety really
does cause very negative thinking. There are ways to train you to think
positively, including faking positively, writing in a positively journal and
spending time with more positive people. These really will have an impact on
your ability to cope with stress.
5.
Learning to Accept It: It is also important that you accept your anxiety rather
that run away from it. Anxiety may cause you to have fears—but many people also
fear anxiety and that fear can actually make your anxiety works. Learn to talk
about it openly and don’t try to hide when you are suffering.
These things may not cure anxiety on their own
but they will help you learn to control the way anxiety affect you.
Very
Short Answer Type Questions (1 Mark)
Q.
What is anxiety?
Ans. Anxiety is a disturbed state
of the body or an unrealistic and unpleasant state of body and mind. It is
accompanied by nervousness, restlessness, increased heart rate, sweating,
drying of the mouth, and apprehension of danger, fear and rapid shallow
breathing.
Q.
What is ethics in sports?
Ans. Ethics is a branch or a
discipline of philosophy called axiology, the study of values. Ethics in sports
means to have an ideal conduct and knowledge of good and evil and what should
be done and not to be done by a person. Ethical behavior in sports includes:
(a) Sportsmanship
(b) Good character
(c) Fair play
(d) Cooperative and self-disciplined behavior
Q.
What is sports psychology?
Ans. Sports psychology is the
branch of applied psychology which deals with sports performance and the behavior
of a player during training/competitions.
Q.
What is Motivation?
Ans. Motivation means to be
inspired to do something. It is a kind of inner force which energizes a person
to make constant effort.
Q.
What are the types of motivation?
Ans. (a) Internal or natural
(intrinsic) motivation
(b) External or artificial (extrinsic)
motivation
Q. Define
anxiety in one sentence.
Ans. Anxiety is a chronic fear
that limits our ability to carry out normal functions.
Q.
What are intrinsic motivations?
Ans. This motivation is within an
individual and guides him to perform better. It is based upon needs, interest,
nature, emotions, social needs etc.
Q.
What do you mean by extrinsic motivation?
Ans. Extrinsic motivation is
external. It occurs when external factors compel the person to do something.
Motivation is always extrinsic, when external forces, positive or negative
produce a behavioural change. Reward, punishment, praise, blame or cash prize are
examples of extrinsic motivation.
Q.
Explain goal setting as a technique of motivation in brief.
Ans. Goal setting technique is
one of the most important techniques of motivation. If you do not set a goal,
you cannot achieve an apex position in life. A person should set goals
according to one’s capabilities on a regular basis.
Q.
Explain any one technique of motivation.
Ans. Goal setting is one of the
techniques of motivation. Goal Setting Sportsmen should be encouraged to set
few ambitions but achievable long term as well as medium term goals. e.g. If a
person wants to get a good position or a medal in Olympic Games, he should also
set the goals for getting a position in Asian or National Games.
Q.
What do you mean by stress?
Ans. Stress consists of bodily
changes produced by physiological or psychological conditions that tend to
upset the homeostatic balance. In medical language ‘stress’ is defined as a
perturbation of the body’s homeostasis.
Q.
What do you mean by coping strategies?
Ans. In the field of psychology,
coping refers to the thoughts and actions which we usually use to deal with a
threatening situation. In other words, coping is expanding conscious effort to
solve personal or interpersonal problems and seeking to minimize or tolerate
stress or conflicts.
Q.
What do you mean by problem focused coping strategies?
Ans. The problem focused
strategies deal with the root causes of stress and try to improve the stressful
environment the sportspersons are experiencing. The problem focuses coping
strategies are aimed at changing or eliminating the authentic source of the stress.
Q.
What do you mean by emotion focused coping strategies?
Ans. These are those coping
strategies which try to reduce the negative emotional responses linked with the
stress such as embarrassment, fear, anxiety, depression, excitement and
frustration. In other words, these are those strategies which are used to
tackle the feeling of distress rather than the actual problem.
Q.
What do you mean by personality?
Ans. Personality usually means
that an individual is much more than his outer appearance. It is a dynamic and
organized set of characteristics passed by a person that influences his/her
cognitions, emotions, motivations and behaviours in different types of situations.
Q.
What do you mean by self-esteem?
Ans. Self-esteem is how you value
and respect yourself as a person. It is the real opinion that you have of
yourself. Self-esteem impacts how you take care of yourself physically,
emotionally and spiritually.
Short
Answer Type Questions (3 Marks)
Q.
What is the importance of sports psychology?
Ans. The importance of sports
psychology can be understood from the following points
(a) It analyses the behaviour of sportsmen.
(b) It identifies talent for specific sports.
(c) It creates a better learning situation.
(d) It stabilizes the performance of a
sportsperson for a longer period.
(e) It is important from the research point of
view.
(e) It encourages the players to perform
better.
Q.
What are the causes and symptoms of anxiety in sports?
Ans.
Causes
(a) Genetics
(b) Brain chemistry
(c) Environmental factors
(d) Stress
Symptoms
(a) Feeling restlessness
(b) Muscular tension
(c) Nervousness
(d) Headache
(e) Increased BP
(f) Confusion
Q.
Briefly state about emotion focused coping strategies.
Ans.
Crying: This
strategy/technique is most significant technique to alleviate the stressful
situation during the sports competitions. Most of the sportspersons use crying
technique whenever they are under competition stress.
Brooding: Some sportsperson also use
this emotion focused coping technique or strategy. Usually during the
competition or training they do not say no or they do not object to the
decision of coaches or referees but later on they brood over the decision.
Q.
What do you mean by mental dimension of personality? Explain in detail.
Ans. Mental dimension is another
and the very significant dimension of personality. Mental dimension is too
vital to be ignored. The real identification of personality lies in mental
dimension. Nobody can contribute to the society until and unless one is
mentally sound and has acquired ample knowledge. Those who are not mentally
sound, have nothing to offer others. The development of thinking, reasoning,
intuitions and judgment etc. are possible only through education.
Q.
Explain about emotional dimension of personality in detail.
Ans. Emotional dimension is also
an important dimension of personality. Emotional dimension is related to
emotional stability. To have emotional stability is essential aspect of one’s
personality. It means that one must have proper control over various emotions
such as fear, anger, disgust, distress, amusement or happiness etc. in
different situations. As a matter of fact, many sportspersons feel elated when
they win but start crying, abusing the umpires or referee when they lose. Such
situations show one’s emotional status spontaneous outburst of such emotions is
not accepted as a sign of good personality.
Q.
Explain any three techniques of motivation for higher achievement in sports,
Ans. Techniques of motivation our
higher achievement in sports are:
(a) A healthy sports environment plays a vital
role in motivating the sportsperson. Healthy sport environment consists of proper
humidity and temperature, smooth and clean sports fields, good quality of
sports equipment and other facilities.
(b) For proper motivation, the coaches should
try to encourage positive attitude among sportspersons. Players must think
positively.
(c) Cash Prizes, Certificates and Trophies are
good incentives to sportspersons. Governments offer cash prizes to
sportspersons who win.
Q.
What is the role of anxiety in sports?
Ans. Anxiety plays an important
role in sports, it is an essential ingredient of any competitive situation. Anxiety
levels differ from athlete to athlete and from situation to situation. Athletes
learn how to cope with stressful and competitive situations and manage anxiety
with or assistance from a coach, otherwise they would not be able to give
outstanding performances.
Q.
How can you manage anxiety in sports?
Ans. Anxiety can be managed by:
(a) Keeping cool
(b) Yogic meditation
(c) Biofeedback
(d) Following a behavior modification strategy
(e) Progressive relaxation breathing technique
(f) Somatic adjustment (control of cognitive
processes)
(g) Guidance from a technically trained sports
psychologist
Q.
What are general sports ethics?
Ans. Sports ethics means the code
of conduct of players, coaches, supervisors and administrators of various organizations.
Ethics such as honesty, fair play, obedience of rules, discipline and many
moral behaviors are developed through participation.
Some common ethics related to sports are
(a) Winning and losing gracefully.
(b) Getting recognition, name and fame without
using unfair means.
(c) Loyalty towards his/her team, game,
institution or country.
Q.
State any one dimension of personality in brief.
Ans. Social dimension is the next
important dimension of personality. Man is a social animal. He lives in a
society in which his socialization takes place. Man does not live for himself
alone, he lives for others too. Sociability is inherent in man’s biological
nature. In fact, the seeds of sociability are sown in human personality right
from the moment a human child is born or it can be said that the process of
socialization starts right from the time of one’s birth. Human child learns to
behave because he is basically sociable. He learns by limitations, he learns by
example and he learns by perception.
Short
Answer Type Questions (3 Mark)
Q1.
Explain any two technique of motivation.
Ans. If there is a huge number of
spectators, it will have a positive effect on the players. But its
effectiveness depends upon the experience and maturity of athletes. If an
inexperienced athlete participates in competition, which is full of spectators,
then he will not be able to perform better in comparison to an in experienced
athlete. An inexperienced athlete is usually overpowered by fear.
Opposite sex plays a vital role in motivation.
Usually girls are motivated by the presence of boys, whereas boys are motivated
by the presence of girls. This is an innate tendency of human beings. Even
girls as well as boys try to be smart and active in the presence of opposite
sex.
Q2.
Discuss intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Ans. Intrinsic motivation is
internal. It occurs when people are compelled to do something out of pleasure,
importance or desire. Motivation is always intrinsic when the force comes from
within oneself.
Extrinsic motivation is external. It occurs
when external factors compel the person to do something. Motivation is always
extrinsic, when external forces, positive or negative produce a behavioural
change, reward, punishment, praise, blame or cash prize etc.
Q3.
What do you mean by self-esteem and body image?
Ans. Self-esteem is how you value
and respect yourself as a person. It is the real opinion that you have of
yourself. Self-esteem impacts how you take care of yourself physically,
emotionally and spiritually.
Body image is how and what you think and feel
about your body. In other words, body image is both the mental picture that you
have of your body and how you perceive yourself when you look at a mirror.
Q4.
What do you mean by positive body image and negative body image?
Ans. Positive body image is also
called healthy body image. The individuals, who accept the way they look and
feel good about their bodies, have a positive or healthy body image. For having
a positive or healthy body image you are not required to be thin or tall or any
other specific physical trail. In fact, it does not matter what you look like
from outside.
Negative body image is also called unhealthy
body image. Negative body image means being unhappy with the way you look. It
is usually linked with the desire to change the body shape, size, height or
weight etc. This type of body image develops when an individual feels that his
body’s features do not match with social or media ideals. These individuals are
usually dissatisfied with their body image.
Q5.
Describe any three techniques of anxiety management.
Ans. 1.
Meditation
can be used for managing anxiety. It can be ideal for staying calm in between
rounds of competition. First of all, sit in a comfortable position. After that
pick a short focus word this has significant meaning for you and that you
associate with relaxation. You may pick up the word like relax, smooth, calm or
easy etc. then start meditating.
2. Establish the ‘winning
feeling. Start thinking about the last time you were performing at the top of
your game. After that enlist every detail you might associate with your
‘winning feeling.’ Then pick out the eight most important aspects of this
positive feeling and write them down. Think those winning feelings. Naturally,
it will help to create an optimum competitive mindset.
3. Stop negative thoughts such
as ‘I cannot do better now’ or ‘it is impossible to beat him in the
competition’. Think positive.
Q6.
Discuss the dimensions of personality.
Ans.
1. Physical
dimension is considered the most significant dimension of personality. It is
based on the fact that first impression is the last impression. In fact,
physical dimension is related to good physique, good appearance and good
health.
2. Mental dimension is another
and the very significant dimension of personality. Mental dimension is related
to mental and intellectual strength and abilities. Mental dimension is too
vital to be ignored. The real identification of personality lies in mental
dimension.
3. Social dimension is the next
important dimension of personality. Man is a social animal. He lives in a
society in which his socialization takes place. Man does not live for himself
alone, he lives for others too.
Q7.
Elaborate the types of personality.
Ans.
1. Type ‘A’ personality: The individuals with this type of personality are very
competitive. They are self-critical. They are characterized by high working
involvement. They are easily excited and owing to that they fall prey to
hypertension. They experience a persistent sense of urgency so, they seem to be
always struggling against the clock.
2. Type
‘B’ personality: The
individuals with this type of personality are not competitive in nature. They
are easy going and patient. They usually do not become angry and hostile. They
are able to express their emotions appropriately.
3. Type
‘C’ personality: The
individuals with such type of personality have pleasing and appeasing nature.
They are unable to express their emotions specially anger. They are able to
suppress their emotions efficiently.
Q8.
What do you mean by body image? Discuss its types in brief.
Ans. Body image is how and what
you think and feel about your body. In other words, body image is both the
mental picture that you have of your body and how you perceive yourself when
you look at a mirror.
Types
of Body-Image
1. Positive
body image:
Positive body image is also called healthy body image. The individuals, who
accept the way they look and feel good about their bodies, have a positive or
healthy body image.
2. Negative
body image:
Negative body image is also called unhealthy body image. Negative body image
means being unhappy with the way you look. It is normally linked with the
desire to change the body shape, size, height etc.
Q9.
Discuss the factors influencing body image and self-esteem.
Ans. 1. During teenage, the teenagers become more aware of celebrities
and media images. They usually start to compare themselves with media images
and celebrities.
2. The family school and other
members of society can influence our self-esteem and body image.
3. Our experience of life may
influence our body image and self-esteem.
Long Answer
Type Questions (5 Mark)
Q1.
Explain the term ‘stress’. How can it be managed? Explain.
Ans. Stress consists of bodily
changes produced by physiological or psychological conditions that tend to
upset the homeostatic balance. In medical language ‘stress’ is defined as a
perturbation of the body’s homeostasis. It can be managed in the following way:
1. The individual who is under
stress, should try to build up self-confidence. He should have enough
confidence to deal with the stress.
2. Developing various type of
hobbies, such as gardening, TV matching, swimming, listening to music is also significant
for reducing stress.
3. One should try to stay cool
and confident when there is stress. Remaining in such a state can be helpful in
reducing stress.
4. Stressed persons usually
remain busy in talking about their own stress. They become pessimistic. You can
be affected by their views. So, always avoid such people who remain under
stress.
Q2.
What do you mean by anxiety? Discuss the management of anxiety in detail.
Ans. The main aim of physical
education teachers, trainers, coaches and sports psychologists is to enhance an
individual’s performance at optimum level. To achieve this aim, they must
consider the effect of anxiety on performance. In fact, anxiety is a psychological
and physiological state of an individual. It can be managed in the following
way:
(a) Start thinking about the last
time you were performing at the top of your game. After that enlist energy
detail you might associate with your ‘winning feeling’. Then pick out the eight
most important aspects of this positive feeling and write them down. Think
those winning feelings. Naturally, it will help to create an optimum
competitive mindset.
(b) Stop negative thoughts such
as ‘I cannot do better’ or ‘it is impossible to beat him in the competition’.
Instead of these negative thoughts, think positive such as ‘I can do much
better’ or ‘I will be the winner’.
Q3.
Discuss the points to improve the body image and self-esteem in detail.
Ans.
1. A positive
and optimistic attitude can help individuals to improve body image and
self-esteem. So one should try to have a positive and optimistic attitude in
life.
2. Changes in your life style
such as adopting a specific diet and with planned exercise programme in order
to lose weight, gain muscles or change in body shape and size can be a healthy
choice.
3. For improving body image and
self-esteem, identify all the aspects of your appearance which you can change
realistically and which you can’t change. It is well known fact that human
beings are imperfect.
4. When you hear negative
comments coming from the core of your heart, stop them immediately if you want
to improve your body image and self-esteem.
5. If you want to improve your
self-esteem and body image, do some good things every day and give compliments
to yourself that you really have done good things. This act will give you
immense pleasure.
Q4. What
principles should be followed for goal setting?
Ans. The following principles
should be followed for goal setting:
(a) Make goals specific, measurable, and
observable.
(b) Clearly identify time constraints.
(c) Use moderately difficult goals; they are
superior to either easy or very difficult goals.
(d) Write goals down and regularly monitor
progress.
(e) Use a mix of process, performance, and
outcome goals.
(f) Use short range goals to achieve long range
goals.
(g) Set team as well as individual performance
goals.
(h) Set practice as well as competition goals,
(i) Make sure goals are internalized by the
athlete.
(j) Consider personality and individual
differences in goal setting.
Q5.
Define sports psychology and elucidate its importance in the field of sports.
Ans. Sports psychology is the
branch of applied psychology which deals with sports performance and the Behavior
of a player during training or competitions.
Importance of Sports psychology is due to
(a) Sports psychology plays a major role in the
learning of motor skills. Motor skills learning depends on the individual's
level of readiness.
(b) Performance of a player depends upon the
behaviors which are influenced by various factors such as sex differences,
family conditions, personal background, heredity, growth, physical and mental
maturity levels etc.
(c) Every sports has specific psychological
demands. E.g. boxing requires more aggressiveness, whereas archery and shooting
require more concentration.
(d) It helps in stabilizing the performance of
a player for a longer period. Then the performance of the player largely
depends upon his psychological make up and anxiety level.
(e) Sports psychologists work in very close
proximity to coaches to uplift the performance of players. Research findings
help in promotion of sports and games.
(f) Sports psychology encourages the players,
who, due to injury or some accident, are forced to take a long break from their
professional career, to return to their sport.