Sport psychology is the scientific study of the psychological factors that influence and are influenced by participation and performance in sport, exercise, and physical activity. It involves understanding how psychological skills can enhance athletic performance and overall well-being through applying knowledge about the social, cognitive, and affective factors that influence sport performance. The key activities of sport psychologists include consulting, clinical work, research, and teaching. There are also various areas and careers within the field, such as clinical, educational, and social psychology.

1. SPS431

2. LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students will be able to:
• Define sports, athletes, and sport psychology.
• Describe the history of sport psychology.
• Explain the main activities carried out by
sport psychologist and what is school of
thoughts in psychology.
• Explain the careers in psychology and multi-areas
of psychology.

3. DEFINITIONS OF SPORT & ATHLETES
 Sport will be defined as an organized and competition activity, involving
physical exertion and serious competitors (Nixon, 1984).
 Sport also involved rules and procedures to govern the activities
(Freeman, 2001), and help decide winners and losers (Ampofo-Boateng,
2002a).
The competitors in sports may be other players, against the clock or natural objects like
climbing a mountain (Leonard II, 1998).
• Athletes will be defined in a general sense to include
both sports men and women who take part in different sport.

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Involving the scientific study of the behavioural (action), affective
(emotion), and cognitive (thought) reactions to sport behaviour and sport
settings by sport-participants and fans.
-Wann (1997)
Study of the psychological and mental factors that influence and
influenced by participation and performance in sport, exercise and
physical activity, and the application of knowledge gained through this
study to everyday settings.
- Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP)
“The science of psychology applied to sport”.
- Singer (1978)
Sports psychology is the study of the interaction between a
person’s psychology and their participation in sport.
Scientific study of behavior, affective, and cognitive reactions
to sports settings for both participants and fans.
Definition of Sport Psychology

5. Definition – emphasizes on :
• Importance of 3 components of behaviour, affective and cognitive in
sport.
• Application of sport psychology to deal with sport-related problems.
Origin of Psychology (Greek derivation)
• Psyche means “mind or spirit”
• Logos means “sayings or speaking of”
• Literally means “speaking of the mind”

6. 2 main objectives:
1. To understand how psychological factors
affect in individual‟s performance.
2. To understand how participation in
sport and exercise affects one‟s
psychological development, health, and
well-being.
Objectives of Sport Psychology

7. • Improve athlete's performance
• Recognize and overcome the pressures associated with
sports competition
• Acquire psychological skills to deal with athlete’s injuries
• Deal with problems of choking during competition
• Improve the level of cohesion within team to improve
performance
• Develop self-confidence for competitions
• Stay focused during competitions
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Influence of Sport Psychology

8. In professional or competitive sport, this study is important because:
• A person‟s psychology or state of mind can have a significant effect upon
their sporting performance.
• The selection of competitors for elite sport is influenced by an
assessment of their individual psychology, as well as other factors such as
recent performance and fitness.
• Competition is tight, athletes are physically fit, and the margin for victory
is slim.
• Managers, coaches and players are realizing that to get ahead they need
an added resource, and that resource is a trained mind.
Importance of sport psychology in sports

9. Activities of Sport Psychology

10. • Consulting activity
• Provide skills training for athletes and coaches in certain areas.
(e.g: reduce stress, improve mental health)
• Through specific routines – D.M.E
• DIAGNOSE : nature of problem affecting performance
• METHODS : develop methods to help improve performance
• EVALUATION : problem solved or not. If not, develop new techniques
• Clinical sport psychologist activity
• Trained in techniques to allow psychologist to diagnose and
treat athletes with personality and emotional problems.
Applied activities

11. • Educational sport psychological activity
• Trained in sport and exercise psychology, physical education,
kinesiology and human movement and how they influence athletes‟
behaviour and performance.
• Helps to deal with sport-related problem :
• Arousal control
• Concentration
• Goal setting
• Injury rehabilitation
• Mental preparation
• Stress and stress management
• Development of self-confidence
• Improvement of communication skills among athletes
Applied activities

12. • Teaching
• Teaching both sports and traditional psychological courses at
graduate and undergraduate levels.
• Conduct training programmes for athletes and coaches.
• Sport-related courses
• Traditional psychology courses
• Conduct of training programmes
• Research
• Using research to increase, change and modify knowledge,
theory and practice in sport psychology.
• Includes both quantitative and qualitative research methods
• Research findings through journals and conferences.
Academic activities

13. • Competence. Maintain highest standards in one‟s work and recognize limits
of expertise.
• Integrity. Clarify roles and do not falsely advertise.
• Professional and scientific responsibility.Always place interests of clients
first.
• Respect for people’s rights and dignity. Respect such fundamental rights
as privacy and confidentiality among athletes or exercisers.
• Concern for the welfare of others.Always contribute to the welfare of
those with whom you work.
• Social responsibility. Contribute to knowledge and human welfare while
always protecting participants‟ interests.
Ethics in Sport Psychology

14. Professional Standards (AAASP Guidelines)
• maintain competence
• maintain professional integrity
• act responsibly in serving the interests of clients and subjects
• respect clients right to privacy/confidentiality
• enhance the welfare and well-being of others
• social responsibility to the community
Ethics in Sport Psychology

15. NormanTriplett (1898)
• Conducted first experiment in sport psychology.
• Social facilitation/audience effects.
• Cyclists rode with competitors recorded faster time than riding alone, due to
release of energy and motivation to increase their effort.
Coleman Roberts Griffith (1925)
• Father of „American‟ sport psychology
• Established the first sport psychology laboratory at the University of Illinois
(1925)
• Worked with Chicago Cubs – to improve hitting
Franklin M. Henry (1938)
• Father of Motor Skills/Behaviour
• Established first graduate program at the University of California,
Berkeley
• Conducted research in acquisition of motor skills and on the
influence of psychology in sports.
History & Development of Sport Psychology

16. Sport Psychology After 1950
• 1966 - Formation of North American Soc. for the Psych. of Sport and
Physical Activity (NASPSPA)
• 1967 - First Annual Meeting of NASPSPA
• Bruce Ogilvie (Father of Applied Sport Psychology)
• Problem Athletes and How to Handle Them (book)
• begins to consult with athletes and teams
• 1978 - United States Olympic Committee (USOC) hired first ever sport
psychologist as its expert adviser.
• 1986 - First applied journal: The Sport Psychologist
History & Development of Sport Psychology

17. SCHOOL OF THOUGHT IN PSYCHOLOGY
• Structuralism - developed by Edward Titchener with an analysis of the mind or
consciousness. Basic elements such as sensation, perception, and images that
constitute conscious mental process were studied.
• Functionalism - is a study of the function of consciousness developed by William
James (1942-1910) and did not survive as a distinctive approach to the study of
psychology.
• Behaviorism - founded by John Watson that study observable behavior that rejected
a study of mental elements and conscious process.
• Gestalt - established by Max Weitheimer (1880-1943) that originated from German
word means “form” or “shape”. It stressed that perceptions were
more than the sum of its parts.

18. CONT’D
• Psychoanalysis - established by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
that believed in the significance of unconscious thoughts and
feelings in influencing a person’s development.
• Humanistic - emphasized a person’s freedom to think and act and
an existence of his or her potential for growth. It was founded by
Abraham Maslow in the 1960’s and developed because of
dissatisfaction with the behavioral and the psychoanalytic school of
thought

19. Work as …….. Counsellors?Therapists?Teachers?
A psychologist – a person who has completed a graduate education in
psychology, and has been awarded a doctorate (Ph.D.) degree in psychology.
A clinical psychologist – has a Ph.D. degree in clinical psychology, with some
time spent under a supervisor to acquire the skills in diagnosing and treating a wide
spectrum of abnormal behaviours; but cannot examine the underlying physical or
neurological causes of the abnormal behaviours and are not allowed to prescribe
drugs to deal with abnormal behaviours.
A psychiatrist – is a medical doctor who has spent some time to be
trained as a clinical psychologist.The training involves the acquisition of
skills such as, diagnosing and treating abnormal behaviours. A psychiatrist
can prescribe drugs as part of the treatment regime to deal with
abnormal behaviour.
Career in Psychology

20. Areas in Sport Psychology
1. Clinical Sport Psychologists are trained to deal with the
various emotional problems and personality disorders
experienced by athletes (e.g. depression and eating
disorders).
2. Educational Sport Psychologists are individuals with an
understanding of the principles of sport psychology
who attempt to transmit this information to athletes
and coaches.They attempt to educate interested
parties on the fundamental of sport psychology.

21. Areas in Sport Psychology
3. Social Psychology include leadership theory and styles, the
psychological aspects of effective coaching, understanding
the factors that influence group cohesion and group
dynamics, effects of audience characteristics on athletic
performance (psychosocial and behavioral factors also
influence sport performance).
4. Personality Psychology not only rely on the athlete but also
the roles of growth, development, coaching, training and
motivation.

22. Areas in Sport Psychology
5. Cognitive Psychology is the technical term of thinking. It
studies the ways in which the timing and content of the
athlete‟s thoughts and emotions influence performance
quality and outcome. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
explains performance success and failure among the
athletes.
6. Biological Psychology is defined as the inference of
psychological processes, emotional states and
performance outcomes. It studies the mechanisms of the
muscle and the nervous system that are associated with
performance quality.