3.5 Arousal, Stress And Anxietyv Flashcards
Stress
Stress is a state of physiological or psychological tension produced by internal or external forces
Stressors
A stressor is internal and external stimuli that causes stress
External stressors
Are usually a physiological and measure-able such as extremes in temp illness and hard physical training
Internal stressors
Are usually psychological for example change of coach failing a test
Arousal
Often defined as the activation or readiness of the mind and body.
Anxiety
Feelings of worry or concern and or negative thoughts and feelings
Defined as: a feeling of apprehension closely associated with our own concept of fear
The inverted U hypothesis (termed and Dodsons)
States that as arousal increases so will the quality of performance until arousal passes beyond an optimal level. Beyond this optimal range of arousal performance will diminish
The inverted U hypothesis affected by
Individual athlete (personality, experience etc)
- experience of the athlete: beginners arousal level will be optimally low
- personality
- perception of comp
Type of skill or sport: fine/ gross simple / complex
Catastrophe Theory (Hardy and Fazey)
The theory is three dimensional as it includes physiological arousal and performance and cognitive anxiety
Increased arousal will benefit performance as long as cognitive anxiety is relatively low
Cognitive anxiety and physiological arousal are high reaching the threshold creates a catastrophic effect
Simple vs complex tasks
Tasks perceived as simple or easily achieved will require higher levels of arousal
Fine motor skills vs gross motor skills
Skills that require controlled, precise movement will require less arousal.
Indicators of over arousal
Butterflies in stomach
Increased urination
Clammy hands
Flushed skin
Increased respiration
Increased HR
Feeling tired
Constant movement
Feeling overwhelmed
Indicators of Under Arousal
Boredom
Poor performance choices
Lack of energy
Skill errors
Poor concentration
Lack of internet
Skill errors
Relaxing the over Aroused athlete (Athlete Directed)
Engage in preferred relaxation technique
Focus on TRF
Seek out others who are calm
Engage in a preferred distracting activity
Relaxing the over aroused athlete (coach directed)
Down play the importance of the contest and the result
Provide time for relaxation
Present a calm presence themselves
Remind the athletes of their thorough and appropriate preparation
Keep sport in perspective
Arousing the under aroused athlete (athlete directed)
Play loud stimulating music
Set personal achievement challenges
Watch motivational videos
Engage in a vigorous warm up
Arousing the under aroused athlete (coach directed)
Stress the importance of the result
Give athletes a publicised responsibility
Give the athletes a pep talk
Provide performances goals to be achieved
Trait Anxiety
Essentially the anxiety of our personality or an underlying disposition to certain levels of anxiety in a particular situation
State Anxiety
The anxiety inherent or associated with a situation
It is how the athlete feels at a specific moment within a particular situation
We each will have different performance/arousal curves in the same and different situations
- experience
-skill level
- difficultly of the task
- uncertainty of a result
- stress in other areas of our life at that time
Competitive anxiety
Comp can cause athletes to react both physically (somatic) and mentally (cognitive) in a manner which can negatively affect their performance abilities.
Choking
High stress levels can negatively influence performance these influences can ranges from butterflies to a panic attack and affect athletic performance. This is commonly known as choking. When the pressure builds up and the importance of the situation makes it hard to control one’s emotions a sportsmen can become physically unable to execute the easiest of sporting skills
