2.2 Sports Psychology (Individual Differences)

Question 1

Personality

Answer 1

The patterns of thoughts and feelings and the way in which we interact with our environment and other people that make us a unique person

Question 2

Anxiety

Answer 2

A negative emotional state that is closely associated with arousal. It is experiencing apprehension and being aware of high arousal linked to our fears and worries

Question 3

State anxiety

Answer 3

Anxiety that is felt in a particular situation, there are two types of state anxiety: Somatic - body response, Cognitive - psychological worry over a situation

Question 4

Stable personality trait

Answer 4

A personality characteristic of someone who does not swing from one emotion to another, but it usually constant in their emotional behaviour

Question 5

Unstable or neurotic personality trait

Answer 5

A personality characteristic of someone who is highly anxious and has unpredictable emotions

Question 6

Extroversion

Answer 6

A personality characteristic or trait of a person who seeks social situations and likes excitement but lacks concentration

Question 7

Introversion

Answer 7

A personality characteristic or trait of a person who does not seek social situations and likes peace and quiet, but is good at concentrating

Question 8

Arousal

Answer 8

The ‘energised state’ or the ‘readiness for action’ that motivates us to behave in a particular way

Question 9

Self-actualisation

Answer 9

The individual’s desire to explore and understand the world so that they can grow personally and reach their potential

Question 10

Prejudice

Answer 10

A preconceived opinion based on a faulty and inflexible generalisation

Question 11

Social norms

Answer 11

Behaviours that are deemed ‘normal’ within a culture and are created through a process called socialisation

Question 12

Culture

Answer 12

Members of a community learning certain behaviours that are shared among those within the community of people or our society

Question 13

Stereotype

Answer 13

A belief held by a collection of people about traits shared by a certain category of person

Question 14

Motiviation

Answer 14

The internal mechanisms and external stimuli which arouse and direct our behaviour

Question 15

Drive

Answer 15

Directed, motivated or ‘energised’ behaviour that an individual has towards achieving a certain goal

Question 16

Drive reduction

Answer 16

An individual may be motivated to complete a task, which can be seen as a ‘drive’. When drive is perceived as being fulfilled, then the drive is reduced

Question 17

Somatic anxiety

Answer 17

Anxiety experienced physiologically or of the body

Question 18

Cognitive anxiety

Answer 18

Anxiety experienced by the mind

Question 19

Trait anxiety

Answer 19

A trait that is enduring in an individual. A performer with high trait anxiety has the predisposition or the potential to react to situation with apprehension

Question 20

Competitive trait anxiety

Answer 20

A tendency to perceive competitive situations as threatening and to respond to these situations with feelings of apprehension or tension

Question 21

Aggression

Answer 21

Intent to harm outside the rules of the sports event

Question 22

Assertion

Answer 22

Forceful behaviour within the laws of the event

Question 23

Catharsis

Answer 23

The release of frustration which leads to a feeling of well-being

Question 24

Social facilitation

Answer 24

The positive influence of others, who may be watching or competing, on sports performance

Question 25

Social inhibition

Answer 25

The negative influence of others, who may be watching or competing, which leads to a decrease in sports performance