Sport Psychology (Routledge Modular Psychology)

146 Pages·1999·1.25 MB·English

by  Matt Jarvis

Sport psychology
Sport Psychology provides an introductory account of the major psychological
issues in sport today. Major theories and up-to-date research are covered in the
areas of personality, attitudes to sport, aggression in sport, anxiety and stress,
social influences, motivation and skill acquisition. A wide variety of sporting
examples support the text, ranging from football to ballet.
This highly readable and detailed account of sport psychology will interest
introductory students in sports psychology and sports studies, whether at college
or university, as well as the general reader.
Matt Jarvis is Senior Teaching Psychologist at Totton College and Totton
Sports Academy
Routledge Modular Psychology
Series editors: Cara Flanagan is a Reviser for A-level Psychology and lectures at
Inverness College. Kevin Silber is an A-level examiner and Senior Lecturer in
Psychology at Staffordshire University.
The Routledge Modular Psychology series is a completely new approach to
introductory level psychology, tailor-made to the new modular style of teaching.
Each short book covers a topic in more detail than any large textbook can,
allowing teacher and student to select material exactly to suit any particular
course or project.
The books have been written especially for those students new to higher-level
study, whether at school, college or university. They include specially designed
features to help with technique, such as a model essay at an average level with an
examiner’s comments to show how extra marks can be gained. The authors are
all examiners and teachers at the introductory level.
The Routledge Modular Psychology texts are all user-friendly and accessible
and include the following features:
• practice essays with specialist commentary to show how to achieve a higher
grade
• chapter summaries to assist with revision
• progress and review exercises
• glossary of key terms
• summaries of key research
• further reading to stimulate ongoing study and research
• website addresses for additional information
• cross-referencing to other books in the series
Sport psychology
Matt Jarvis
London and New York
First published 1999
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of
thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
© 1999 Matt Jarvis
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Jarvis, Matt, 1966–
Sport psychology/Matt Jarvis.
(Routledge Modular Psychology)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Sports—psychological aspects. 2. Athletes—psychology.
I. Title. II. Series.
GV706.4.J37 1999 99–12984
796.′01–dc21 CIP
ISBN 0-203-97627-4 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-415-20641-3 (hbk)
ISBN 0-415-20642-1 (pbk)
Contents
List of illustrations xiii
Acknowledgements xv
1 Introduction to sport psychology 1
What is sport psychology 1
A brief history of sport psychology 2
What is a sport psychologist? 2
2 Personality and sport 5
Introduction 5
Trait theories 6
Eysenck’s theory 6
Cattell’s theory 8
Other measurable personality variables 9
Sensation seeking 9
Telic dominance 9
Applying trait and narrow-band theories to sport 10
Distinguishing athletes from non-athletes 11
Distinguishing successful from unsuccessful athletes 11
Personality and choice of sport 12
Evaluation of the trait and narrow-band approaches 13
Situational and interactional approaches 14
Applying the interactional model to sport 15
Profiling moods 15
Evaluation of the interactional approach 16
vi
Social learning theory 17
Applying social learning theory to sport 18
Patterns of sport-related behaviour 18
Athletes as role models 19
Acquiring love of sport 19
Evaluation of social learning theory 19
Summary 20
3 Attitudes to sport 21
The nature of attitudes 21
The functional approach 22
The structural approach 22
Applications of the structural approach to sport 23
Measuring attitudes 23
Likert scales 24
Semantic differential scales 24
Thurstone scales 25
The formation of attitudes to sport 25
Personality, genetics and attitudes 26
Social learning of attitudes 26
Attitudes to competition 28
Direct experience and attitudes 29
What are children’s attitudes to sport? 29
Attitudes to sport and sporting behaviour 30
Evaluation of the TRA 30
Changing people’s attitudes to sport 31
Cognitive dissonance 31
Evaluation of cognitive dissonance theory 32
Self-perception theory 32
Evaluation of self-perception theory 32
vii
Summary 33
4 Aggression in sport 35
Defining aggression 35
Hostile aggression, instrumental aggression and assertiveness 36
Sanctioned and unsanctioned aggression 37
The link between aggression and performance 37
Theories of aggression 39
Instinct theories 39
Evaluation of the instinct approach 40
Social learning theory 17
Evaluation of social learning theory 19
The frustration-aggression hypothesis 41
Evaluation of the frustration-aggression hypothesis 42
Conclusions 42
Situational factors affecting aggression in sport 42
The $64,000 question: does sport increase or reduce aggression? 43
Effects on spectators 44
The reduction of aggression 44
Punishment 44
Catharsis 45
Role modelling 45
Contracting 45
Anger-management groups 46
Summary 46
5 Arousal, anxiety and stress 48
Definitions of arousal, anxiety and stress 48
Somatic and cognitive anxiety 49
State and trait anxiety 50
Factors inducing anxiety and stress 52
viii
Situational factors 52
EVENT IMPORTANCE 52
EXPECTATIONS 52
UNCERTAINTY 52
Individual factors 53
TRAIT ANXIETY 53
SELF-ESTEEM AND SELF-EFFICACY 53
The relationship between arousal and performance 53
Drive theory 53
Evaluation of drive theory 54
Inverted U hypothesis 54
Evaluation of inverted U hypothesis 55
The relationship between anxiety and performance 55
The catastrophe model 56
Evaluation of the catastrophe model 57
Zones of optimal functioning 57
Evaluation of the ZOF theory 58
Stress management 59
Relaxation techniques 59
BIOFEEDBACK 59
PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION 60
Cognitive-behavioural techinques 61
GOAL-SETTING THEORY 61
EVALUATION OF GOAL-SETTING THEORY 62
Imagery techniques 62
MENTAL REHEARSAL 63
6 Social influences on sporting behaviour 66
Sources of social influence 66
Coaching and socialisation 67
ix
Culture and socialisation 67
Sport as a socialising agent 67
Groups and teams 68
Defining groups and teams 68
Group formation 69
Group cohesion 69
What determines team cohesion? 70
Cohesiveness and performance 70
Developing team cohesion 71
Social facilitation 71
Co-action and audience effects 71
Explanations for co-action and audience effects 72
DRIVE THEORY 53
EVALUATION OF DRIVE THEORY 54
EVALUATION-APPREHENSION THEORY 73
EVALUATION OF EVALUATION-APPREHENSION THEORY 73
Social loafing 73
Groupthink 74
Leadership 74
Leadership style 74
Theories of leadership 75
TRAIT THEORIES 6
EVALUATION OF TRAIT THEORIES 76
FIEDLER’S CONTINGENCY THEORY 76
EVALUATION OF FIEDLER’S THEORY 77
Summary 77
7 Motivation and sport 79
Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation 79
Humanistic perspectives on motivation 80