Sport and Exercise Psychology
By
Dieter Hackfort, President ISSP
Sport and Exercise Psychology is a fundamental sport science discipline. The establishment of this
sport science discipline is a consequence of the development and differentiation of disciplines and
subgroups of specialists in the scientific community. The localisation of Sport and Exercise Psychology
can be described by a triangulation:
Sports &
Health
Culture
Sport & Exercise
Psychology
Psychology
Figure 1
Sport Science
Triangulation of Sport & Exercise Psychology.
Sport and Exercise Psychology is a scientific and professional stream of knowledge that focuses on
various dimensions of sport and exercise behaviour. The general orientation of the discipline is to
describe, explain, predict, and to develop interventional methods to modify intentional organized
and purposive behaviour (actions) in sports based on empirical research and ethical standards.
More specific the intra- and inter-individual, the psycho-physiological, psycho-social, and
psycho-ecological foundations, preconditions, configurations, processes, and consequences of
actions in sports and exercise are investigated and clarified with the applied mission to optimize
sport-related actions. Various authors and experts focus on selected aspects or emphasize a special
purpose or approach.. The focus may be on different psychological dimensions (i.e., affective,
cognitive, motivational, or sensorimotor dimensions). Accordingly, physical activity can be
competitive, recreational, and rehabilitative and the participants can be involved in a variety of
activities and exercises. The perspective of Sport and Exercise Psychology is twofold , on the
analysis of how actions in sports are regulated/controlled by psychic processes on the one hand
and on the other hand on how actions in sports and exercise regulate/control psychic processes
(cognitive, affective/emotional, motivational and volitional processes) with the intention to
enhance sound understanding (theoretical concepts) and to enlarge effective interventional tools
(applied methods).
Applied sport and exercise psychologists are engaged in, e.g. performance enhancement, counselling,
injury rehabilitation, and promotion of physical activity for health maintenance. Research-oriented
sport and exercise psychologists develop and test models and theories and undertake scientific
investigations to understand sport- and exercise-related actions. Sport psychologists, whether
researchers or practitioners contribute to personal growth in conditions where exercise and sport are
performed. Sport psychologists are engaged in the pursuit of three varied but interlocked activities:
theory and research, education, and application.
Sport psychology is a discipline that was developed in the 20th century. Briefly after the foundation of
the first laboratory for experimental psychology in Leipzig (Germany) by Wilhelm Wundt 1879 a first
sport psychology laboratory was established in 1920 by Schulte in Berlin (Germany) and in 1925 by
Griffith in Illinois (USA). Already in 1913 Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic
Games, organized a First International Congress on the Psychology and Physiology of Sport (the only
one). In the 1960s the discipline was arranged in Europe and the US by university professorships and
the foundation of the International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP) in 1965. The discipline
developed in the frame of Sport Science as a function of the increased interest in sport and exercise
within the modern society.
./.