Chapter 1
Sport Psychology: Past, Present and
Future
Jean Williams and Vikki Krane
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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Sport Psychologists Study
• Motivation
• Violence
• Leadership
• Group Dynamics
• Exercise and psychological wellbeing
• Thoughts and feelings of athletes
• Other dimensions of participation in
sport and exercise
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution
without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Focus of Applied Sport Psychology
1. Psychological factors that influence participation
and performance in sport and exercise
2. Psychological effects derived from participation
3. Theories and interventions to enhance
performance, participation, and personal growth
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the
prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
History of Sport Psychology in
North America
• Roots lie in antiquity
• Greek and Asian cultures
• The interdependence of mind and body
• The scientific foundation of modern sport psychology
developed in the 1970s
• Kinesiology + Psychology
• Coleman Griffith an exception –active 1920’s to 1930’s
• The father of sport psychology
• Dorothy Yates an exception –active during 1930s-1950s
• Pioneer practitioner and researcher
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written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
1965-1979: Birth of Sport Psychology and
Supporting Organizations
• Clinical psychologists Bruce Ogilvie and Tom
Tutko
• Problem Athletes and How to Handle Them
(1966)
• Formation of first sport psychology
professional organizations throughout the
1960s
• Research, conferences, journals…lots of
NETWORKING
• Sport psychology on the rise in the 1970s
• Topics diverse and many target populations
• Applied work was discouraged
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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
1980s: Increased Research, Professional
Growth, and Acceptance
• Emphasis on scientific credibility
• Push for field versus lab research
• Better documentation of the effectiveness of
psychological interventions
• Increased attention to exercise and health
psychology issues
• Used by the USOC
• Began addressing professional issues
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without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
1990-2013: Progress in Research,
Application, and Professional Issues
• Intervention research
• A time of emerging diversity in methods, paradigms, and
epistemology
• Single-subject designs, qualitative studies, and a cultural turn
• Training sport psychology consultants
• Ethics
• Job market
•
•
•
•
Teaching and research in sport sciences
Teaching and research in psychology
Consulting with athletes and other populations
Applying sport psychology skills across diverse contexts
• Growth in exercise psychology
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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
History of Sport Psychology in
Eastern Europe
• Pays considerable attention to the applied aspects of
sport psychology
• Enhancing elite athletes’ performance through applied
research and direct intervention
• Sport psychologists in Eastern Europe play an active role in
the selection, training, and competitive preparation of
athletes - facilitate the athlete’s quest for excellence
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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
History of Sport Psychology in
Eastern Europe (cont.)
• Self-regulation training or psychic self-regulation
in the 1950s
• Learned to voluntarily control bodily functions like:
•
•
•
•
Heart rate
Temperature
Muscle tension
Emotional reactions to stressful situations
• Practiced autogenic training, visualization, and
autoconditioning
• Methods were systematically applied to the Soviet and
East German sport programs in the 1970s
• Government-dictated research created some interesting
opportunities
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written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Future Directions in North American
Applied Sport Psychology
• More inclusive and diverse research questions and
methods (problem-focused approach )
• A cultural praxis approach to interventions
• Appropriate training of future sport psychologists
• Growth in specialization
• Job market will expand, but must be
supplemented with nontraditional career options
and consulting
• Greater acceptance of sport psychology within
mainstream psychology
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Bright Futures for Sport
Psychology!
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.