The self in sport and exercise Flashcards
Self esteem
we look at self esteem as multidimensional and hierarchal in nature.
overall self concept model (Stanton 1976) is split into more concepts- such as academic, social, emotional, physical - as you move down thru the model it gets more specific - higher order constructs are dependent on lower order constructs
Athletes with poor self esteem rely on how they feel about themselves in the present so self worth is unstable as it can change so much so performance can be unstable as well- they attribute negative events internally and are less resilient and consistent. (Baumeister 1993- athletes with low self esteem more likely to have anxiety, depression, and phobias)
Athletes with high self esteem- future performances less affected by failure- more resilient- maintain positive self worth. They accept themselves as worthy so can cope with failure
Less defined sense of self leads to less self knowledge which leads to more susceptible to external cues and events that will threaten self esteem
When self concept goes wrong
if you attribute self concept to physical such as ability and appearance we will have less opportunity to self affirm
Research on self esteem
SPEX (sport and exercise) researchers asserted Physical activity should have a greater impact on physical self domains compared to other domains e.g. academic or the higher order domains like global self esteem (fox 2000)-
this is supported by a meta analysis by Spence et al 2005- 113 research studies examining effects of exercise finding exercise results in small but significant improvements in global self esteem suggesting that increase in physical fitness are required to produce this improvement
defining self confidence
a belief about our ability to be successful
sport confidence- belief or degree of certainty individuals possess about their ability to be successful in sport
self confidence
Self confidence is the most consistent factor differentiating successful from less successful athletes (jones and hardy 1990)
Gouldet al 1999- 90% of 63 highest achievers from winter Olympics reported high sc levels
Self confidence is multidimensional- so many aspects
Hays et al 2007- found additional types in elite athletes- belief in ability to achieve and belief in ones superiority over opposition
benefits of self confidence= success/ influence the ABC of sport psychology- AFFECT, BEHAVIOUR, COGNITION so affects goals, effort, concentration, game strategies, psychological momentum, and of course performance
types of self confidence
trait and state
trait self confidence- general confidence= consistent/stable in athletes
state self confidence- how confident you feel right now- temporary and unstable
optimal self confidence
being so convinced that you can achieve your goals you will strive hard to do so- confidence will not overcome incompetence
each person has an optimal level of self confidence- performance problems arise with too little or too much confidence
lack of confidence - less effective thinkers, negative attitudes, give up easily, avoid challenging situations, more focused on outcome than consequences= anxiety, distraction, indecisiveness
confident athletes- more effective thinkers, positive attitudes, persistent with failure, welcome challenges, focus on mastery of task = relaxed, focused, in control
over confident- overestimate ability/ often competent- don’t adequately prepare
false confidence- confident outside but inside they fear failure- pretend to be cocky and arrogant soo prepare hard but lack competence to be successful
how to deal with over confidence- respect opponents, hard work is always needed, take every game seriously
self fulfilling prophecy
what you expect is what you get
you have expectations from yourself/ of winning or losing/ from coaches, parents, team mates, fans
Negative self-fulfilling- expect failure, leads to actual failure which lowers self image and expectations of future failure- vicious cycle
positive self fulfilling- expecting the desired outcome and performance
Self efficacy
the perception of ones ability to perform a task successfully in a specific situation so its situation specific
someone may have good confidence in football but low self efficacy in shooting
explains why peoples behaviours are sometimes disjointed from their actual capabilities and why peoples behaviour differs widely even when they have similar knowledge and skills
self efficacy theory- Bnadeura
Assumption- the primary mediator of behaviour change is self efficacy
Adoption and persistence in behaviours are explained by-
- expectations of ones skills and capabilities - SE expectancy
- expectations about outcomes
- the value placed on those outcomes
High SE- higher the goals and more persistence shows towards reaching these goals- someone with high se who fails will attribute the failure to their lack of effort and more likely to persist.
someone with low SE may attribute failure to ability, and will be more likely to give up
• Adoption and persistence in behaviour’s are determined by:
- the expectations about one’s skills and capabilities to engage successfully in
the specific target behaviour in particular situations (SE expectancy) • e.g., adhering to an 8 week exercise programme, walking 5 times a week for 30 minutes - expectations about outcomes, and (outcome expectancy); • i.e., believing that adherence to such a programme with result in the desired outcomes
- the value placed on those outcomes (outcome value)
sources of self efficacy
1) performance accomplishments- based on our actual experiences- success raises efficacy expectations and failures lowers this
2) vicarious experience (imitation/modelling)- observing others succeed or fail may influence or efficacy beliefs- social comparison can influence efficacy beliefs- beneficial since sometimes we cannot measure success without a point of reference
3) verbal persuasion- weaker influence than prior success . Characterised by encouragement, reinforcement, feedback- effectiveness is reliant on how realistic feedback may be
4) Imaginal experience- generate beliefs about personal efficacy- key using imagry- see oneself demonstrating mastery
5)physiological states- condition of the body = hr, sweating, muscle tension, body temp for example. Self efficacy related to how one evaluates physiological states . Facilitative= SE is enhanced (e.g when hr raises they feel ready)
Debilitative= Lowered SE (e.g. when hr raises they feel unready and too nervous)
6) emotional states- emotional experiences and modes . Research = positive emotional states such as happiness more likely to enhance SE than negative states (Meier 1995)
