Anxiety Flashcards
Anxiety
Negative aspect of stress, characterised by irrational thinking,loss of concentration,fear of failure
Two types of anxiety
Trait and state
Trait anxiety
Personality trait Consistent Stable Player worrying before all games Anxious behaviour all the time
State anxiety
Situation dependent
Temporary rush of anxiety
Caused by threatening circumstances
High trait anxiety =
More likely to have higher state anxiety
Somatic symptoms of anxiety
Physiological, muscular tension, shaking, sweating
Cognitive symptoms of anxiety
Psychological,irrational thinking, worrying, loss of concentration
Greater the cognitive anxiety =
Worse performance
Somatic activity =
Similar to an inverted u diagram
Cognitive activity =
Negative linear
Causes of anxiety
Being watched Letting team down Injury Playing badly Increased competition Running out of time when loosing
How to measure anxiety
Questionnaires
Observation
Physical testing
Questionnaires pros
Quick, easy, cheap
Results can be easily compared
Deals with lots of info
Questionnaire cons
Answers may be untruthful Questions may be misinterpreted Time restrictions means answers may be rushed Answers depend on mood Inappropriate answers
Example of self report questionnaire
Scat test - higher the score = higher competitive anxiety, measures tendency of athlete to experience competitive anxiety
