FINAL. EXAM Flashcards
What are the 2 types of value that physical activity can have for human beings?
extrinsic value: PA is used as a means to an ends. Ex: using sport skill to get scholarship, using PA for its health and fitness value
intrinsic value: PA can be valuable as an end in itself (autotelic). Ex: playing sport for “the love of the game”, exercising for sheer enjoyment
What is philosophy? Briefly explain the difference between philosophy and rhetoric.
philosophy is the “art and science of”
-wondering about reality, posing questions related to that wonder, pursuing answers to those questions in a reflective manner
in philosophy you examine your beliefs and reasons you hold them, not to try to falsely persuade people that your beliefs are best
what are the branches and sub-branches of philosophy?
Metaphysics: deals with questions concerning the nature and purpose of things
- ontology:deals w/ questions about the nature of things
- teleology: deals w/ questions about the purpose of things
Axiology:deals with questions of value
- Ethics:deals with questions about right and wrong
- Aesthetics: deals with questions about beauty
Epistemology: deals with questions concerning what we can know, and how we can know it
What are the 6 tendencies within American society discussed by Drs. Kretchmar and Hager?
overemphasis on product over process, runaway individualism, too many responsibilities/lack of time, excessive escapism, excessive survivalism, oppressive rationalism
What evidence is there for each overemphasis of product over process?
overemphasis on strategic reasoning and advantage seeking,
- winning emphasized over competition
- image emphasized over substance and health
- quantity and efficiency emphasized over quality
What evidence is there for runway individualism?
overemphasis on individual achievement
- overemphasis on strategic reasoning and advantage seeking
- increase in cheating and unethical behavior
- lack of common values and a common direction
What evidence is there for too many responsibilities/ lack of time
overemphasis on importance of job or career
- lack of awareness of others and our morals responsibilities to them
- lack of community
- quantity and efficiency emphasized over quality
What evidence is there for excessive escapism
overuse of sport and physical activity as forms of escape from everyday life and problems
- fascination with virtual world and activities
- overuse of technology
What evidence is there for excessive survivalism
overemphasis on the mechanistic health of the physical body
- overemphasis on instrumental (extrinsic) value of PA for health
- survival as metaphor for winning
What evidence is there for oppressive rationalism
overemphasis on the role of science and technology in human life
- overemphasis on mechanistic view of persons
- reduced emphasis on spiritual and emotional aspects of being human
- lack of emphasis on play and the intrinsic value of PA
Name and define the 3 types of values discussed in class
moral: motives and traits that help one act well in relation to others
Ex: honesty, respect, compassion, sportspersonship, justice/fairness
social: motives and traits valued by the members of a particular society
Ex: leadership, teamwork, efficiency, loyalty, courage
non-moral: items, skills, expiernces and conditions people desire
Ex: winning, security, health, happiness, knowledge
What false assumptions exist in relation to the belief that sport builds character?
1) all children will be positively affected by their sports experiences
2) sport automatically teaches positive moral and social values to all who participate in it
empirical methods
- negative relationship between sport participation and delinquency
- positive relationship between sport participation and “lessening of restraints on aggression”
- relationship between sport participation and prosocial behavior is less clear than believed
Explain the distinction between competition and decompetition that Shields makes in “Opponents or Enemies: Rethinking the Nature of Competition
competition: sport is viewed as a partnership, goal is mastery and excellence, focus is on process of competition, opponents are enablers, officials are game facilitators, rules are imperfect guides to fairness
decompetition: sport viewed as battle or war, goal is domination, focus is on winning, opponents are obstacles officials are opponents, rules are partially tolerated restraints
What are the characteristics of play activities according to Huizinga?
- freely chosen
- are participated in for their own sake (autotelic)
- are not used for instrumental purposes (intrinsically valued)
- have limits of time and space
- have rules that assist in creating the play world
What is the stance of sport and play according to Hyland?
play is that of “responsive openness”
play requires us to:
-be as open to what is happening and to the opportunities presented by an activity as possible
-respond to the opportunities and situations that arise
What is the flow state? What characteristics do athletes experience in the flow state?
psychological state of optimal experience that stands out from everyday life, individuals do not always experience success
- typically occur to athletes who have attained a level of skill mastery
- athletes experience a sense of control
Explain how the Challenge/Skill Balance (CS Balance) and the other primary elements of flow make flow experiences more likely to occur.
CS balance: memorable states are facilitated to some degree by a perceived balance between challenges an athlete faces and the skills that athlete possesses
primary elements: an experience of sport as an autotelic activity
- intense concentration on task at hand
- a merging of action and awareness
- a loss of self-consciousness
What are the primary objectives of Eastern and Western sport?
western: concerned with winning, competitive athletic superiority
eastern: vehicle or means to inner awareness and self- knowledge
What is the ego-mind?
the part of the mind that is continually trying to direct our actions
-this part is strongly affected by athletes fears, desires, hopes, regrets, and anger
Explain the process by which Zen and yoga techniques assist athletes in achieving inner awareness and self-knowledge.
training techniques can help quiet ego-mind so that the unconscious, intuitive, creative aspect of self is free to act
-these techniques help keep athletes fears, desires, anger from adversely affecting their performance
What paradoxes do athletes experience when the ego-mind is quieted and the intuitive aspect of self begins to initiate action?
the paradox of effortless effort: with a quieted mind, athletes move intuitively from their center and experience hard work as being effortless
the paradox of action w/o acting: when action is initiated by the still point of the athletes center rather than by the desires and fears of the ego-mind, the athlete may seem to witness another self carrying out skills
Explain whether the ego-mind positively or negatively affects athletes and how it does so.
athletes are often negatively affected by their ego minds, and tend to perform better when it’s quiet.
-fears, desires, anger etc. are controlled by the ego-mind and can negatively impact performance
Describe the qualities and characteristics that Hyland believes are highlighted by the stance of play and sport.
finitude: the limitations of our bodies in strength, speed, flexibility, skill, etc.
- time limitations and spatial boundaries placed upon us by rules
- rules themselves limit our actions in order to provide us with the challenges that give sport their meaning and possibilities
