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VU
Sport
Psychology (PSY407)
Lesson
01
SPORT
PSYCHOLOGY DEFINED
Sport
psychology is a science in which the
principles of psychology are applied in a sport
and exercise setting.
These
principles are often applied to enhance
performance, however, a true sport psychologist is
interested in
much
more than performance enrichment
and sees sport as a tool for
human enrichment. The sport
psychologists
are interested in helping
every sport participant reach
his or her potential as an athlete.
Sport
psychology
is an exciting subject dedicated to the
enhancement of both athletic performance
and the social-
psychological
aspects of human enrichment. In simple
terms sport psychology is the study of
the effect of
psychological
and emotional factors on sport
performance, and the effect of sport
involvement on
psychological
and emotional factors. These
psychological and emotional
factors can be fine-tuned
and learned
which
can have a positive effect on
athlete's performance in sport and
his overall psychological
and emotional
makeup.
History
of Sport Psychology
Sport
psychology as a distinct field of
study is extremely young and is
evolving. The first clear
historical example
of
research being conducted in the area of
sport psychology was in 1897.Drawing upon
field observations
and
secondary
data, researchers found out
that presence of other competitors could
facilitate better cycling
performance.
The first sport psychology
laboratory was established by
Coleman Roberts Griffith at
the
University
of Illinois in 1925. Following
World War II such notable as
Franklin
M. Henry at the
University of
California,
John
Lawther at
Pennsylvania State University,
and Arthur
Slater-Hammel at
Indiana University
pioneered
graduate-level courses and developed
research laboratories of their
own.
1950
to 1980 are considered as the
"formative years" for sport psychology.
During this time, a number of
research
initiatives and textbooks
were published. Some of the early
textbooks included Psychology
of Coaching,
by
John
D. Lawther 1951, and
Problem
Athletes and How to Handle
Them, by
Bruce Ogilvie and Tom
Tutko (1966).
Some
initiatives in research were Warren
Johnson's work with hypnosis
and athletic performance (1960s),
the
development
and testing of anxiety inventories by
Rainer Martens in (1970s and
1980s) and Albert Carron's
and
P.Chelladurai's
work with sport leadership
and team cohesion (1970s
and 1980s).
Development
of Professional Organizations
A
number of professional organizations have
evolved since the 1960s. In
1965 the International
Society
of
Sport Psychology (ISSP) is to promote
and disseminate information about the
practice of sport
psychology
throughout the world. In North America a
small group sport psychologists
from Canada
and
the United States started
work on forming their own
professional organization for
sport
psychology.
The efforts of this small
group came to fruition in
1966 when it was recognized by
the
ISSP.
The name of this new organization
was the North American Society
for the Psychology of Sport
and
Physical Activity. NASPSPA.
Since then NASPSPA has
evolved into an influential
academic
society
focusing on sport psychology in the
broadest sense. NASPSPA
provided a forum for
researches
in
the areas of sport psychology, sport sociology
motor learning, motor control,
and motor
development
to meet and exchange ideas
and research. Shortly after the
emergence of NASPSPA in the
United
States, another significant professional organization
came into existence in
Canada in 1969. This
organization
was named the Canadian
Society for Psychomotor Learning
and Sport Psychology
(CSPLSP).
In order to better address the interests
and needs of sport psychologists
interested in
applying
the principle of psychology to sport and
exercise, the Association for the Advancement
of
Applied
Sport Psychology (AAASP) was
formed in the fall of 1985.
AAASP has emerged in the
1990s
as
the dominant association for the
advancement of applied sport psychology as
well as research in
North
America, and perhaps in the
world. In addition to these
specialized organizations,
other
associations
created interest areas
dedicated to sport psychology within
their organizations.
These
1
VU
Sport
Psychology (PSY407)
include
American Psychological Association (APA),
which created its division
47 in 1968 dedicated to
sport
psychology.
Issue
of Certification
Historically,
sport psychology emerged as a discipline
from physical education. The
question arises that
`which
people are qualified to call
themselves psychologists and to
provide services to
athletes?'
AAAPA
took the issue one step
ahead and adopted a certification
document outlining the process an
individual
must take to be given the title of
"Certified Consultant, Association for the Advancement
of
Applied
Sport Psychology". As one of the
certification criteria, the applicant is required to
hold an
earned
doctorate in an area related to sport
psychology (e.g., psychology, sport
science, or physical
education).
To be certified by AAASP both
licensed and unlicensed
psychologists need to meet
the
minimum
standards as set by the
organization.
What
Does The Sport Psychologist
Do?
Roles
and functions of a sport psychologist
are described in the categories of
clinician, educator and
researcher.
The
clinical/ Counseling Sport
Psychologist
The
clinical/ counseling sport psychologist
is a person trained in clinical or counseling
psychology and
may
be a licensed psychologist. Generally
clinical/ counseling sport psychologists
are individuals who
are
trained specifically to deal with
emotional and personality disorder
problems that affect
athletes.
The
Educational Sport
Psychologist
Most
sport psychologist who received
their academic training
through departments of
physical
education
considers themselves to be educational
sport psychologists. They use the
medium of
education
to teach correct principle of sport
and exercise to athletes and
coaches. Their main purpose
is
to
help athletes develop psychological
skills for performance
enhancement. They also help
athlete,
young
and old, to enjoy sport and
use it as a vehicle for
improving their quality of
life.
The
Research Sport
Psychologist
For
sport and exercise psychology to be a
recognized and respected
science, the knowledge must
continue
to grow. It is the scientist and the
scholar who serve this
important role. For the practicing
sport
psychologist to enjoy professional
credibility there must exist
a credible scientific body of
knowledge.
Accreditation
Issue in Sport Psychology
The
issue of who is qualified to
deliver sport psychology services
has been addressed to some
degree by
AAASP
with its certification
program, the issue still
remains as to who is qualified to
prepare or train
sport
psychologists. Accreditation is the only
way to ensure quality and
consistency of academic
training.
Students graduating from accredited
programs would be prepared to be
certified AAASP
consultants.
Multicultural
Training Issue in Sport
Psychology
2
VU
Sport
Psychology (PSY407)
Another
issue that must be addressed
is the issue of multicultural training.
Graduates of sport
psychology
programs should be adequately trained in
issues that relate to culture
and race.
Multicultural
counseling
is defined as counseling that
takes place among
individuals from different
cultures/ racial
backgrounds.
Multicultural
training of sport psychology students
should be provided in four domains.
First, Students should
experience
a heightened awareness of and sensitivity
to cultural groups different from
their own. Second
they
should
gain knowledge about people who belong to
cultures different than
their own. Third, students
should
learn
helping and intervention
skills through the process of
role playing and stimulated interaction.
Finally, each
prospective
graduate should experience a supervised
practicum to gain hands-on
experience working
with
members
of a different culture or race.
References
Cox,
H. Richard. (2002). Sport Psychology:
Concepts and Applications.
(Fifth Edition). New York:
McGraw-
Hill
Companies
Lavallec.
D., Kremer, J., Moran,
A., & Williams. M. (2004)
Sports Psychology: Contemporary Themes.
New
York:
Palgrave Macmillan
Publishers
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