Sports Psychology: Behavior, Stress, and Aggression

• Sports psychology is a sub-category that deals with the behavior of athletes and teams in competitive sports.
• It analyzes the behavior of sportsmen.
• Sports psychology identifies talent for specific sports.
• It creates a better learning environment.
• It stabilizes the performance of athletes for a longer period.
• It encourages players to make a comeback in professional sports.
• It is important from a research perspective.

Understanding Stress and Its Management

• Stress occurs when individuals feel unable to cope with a situation.
• Stress can negatively affect an athlete's performance.
• Proper planning can reduce stress levels for athletes and coaches.
• Regular exercise can reduce stress.
• Eating healthy can reduce stress.
• Getting enough sleep can reduce stress.
• Setting realistic goals can reduce stress.
• Accepting mistakes can reduce stress.
• Using imagination can reduce stress.
• Taking breaks can reduce stress.
• Using relaxation techniques can reduce stress.

Coping Strategies

• Coping involves conscious efforts to solve problems and manage stress.

Problem Focused Coping

• Targets the causes of stress directly.
• Aims to remove or reduce the stressor.
• Involves taking control.
• Involves seeking information.
• Involves evaluation.

Emotion Focused Coping

• Changes one’s emotional reaction to a stressor.
• Effective for unchangeable stressors.
• Involves cognitive reappraisal.
• Involves self-reflection.
• Involves taking control over emotions.
• Includes keeping busy to distract from the issue.
• Includes letting off steam.
• Includes praying for guidance and strength.
• Includes distracting oneself (e.g., watching TV, eating).
• Includes psychologically preparing oneself to accept the worst outcome.

Personality

• The word personality comes from the Latin word "persona," meaning mask.
• Personality refers to the outward characteristics of an individual
• Personality is the constant pattern of thinking, feeling, and actions
• Personality is the totality of an individual’s sentiments, attitudes, ideas, habits, skills and behaviors.

Types of Personality

Sheldon and Jung Classification

• Personality types can be classified on the basis of physical attributes.
• Personality types can be classified on the basis of mental attributes.

Endomorph

• Physically round with wide hips and narrow shoulders, resulting in a pear shape.
• Tend to have fat spread across the body.
• Sociable, fun-loving, and tolerant.
• Even-tempered and good-humored.
• Relaxed and love food.

Ectomorph

• Opposite of endomorph, with narrow shoulders and hips.
• Thin face and high forehead.
• Thin chest and very little body fat.
• Self-conscious, private, and introverted.
• Socially anxious, intense, emotionally restrained, and thoughtful.

Mesomorph

• Between endomorph and ectomorph.
• Large head, broad shoulders, and narrow waist (wedge-shaped).
• Muscular body, strong limbs, and little body fat.
• Well-proportioned.
• Adventurous, courageous, and assertive.
• Bold, competitive, and desire to dominate.
• Risk-takers and aspire to positions of power.

Extroverts

• Have more self-confidence.
• Interested in others.
• Outgoing and lively.
• Realistic and very social.
• Form friends easily.

Introverts

• Too self-conscious.
• More interested in their own thoughts and ideas.
• Self-centered, shy, and reserved.
• Lovers of solitude.
• Do not make friends easily and keep to themselves in social situations. 

Ambiverts

• Have a mixture of both extroverted and introverted traits.
• Neither outgoing nor reserved.
• Able to adjust to any situation.

Role of Sports in Personality Development

• Sports builds character and develops strategic and analytical thinking.
• Sports helps an individual develop leadership skills.
• Sports helps an individual develop goal setting, risk taking and team spirit.
• Sports teaches fair play.
• Sports teaches one to never give up.
• Sports provides focus.
• Sports helps one improve their strength and abilities.
• Sports improves planning.
• Sports improves earnestness and sincerity.
• Sports improves observation and analysis.
• Sports ensures a positive attitude.

Big Five Theory

• Five broad categories of personality traits that are universal.

Extraversion

• Characterized by excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness, and high emotional expressiveness.
• High in extraversion: extroverts.
• Low in extraversion: introverts.

Agreeableness

• Includes attributes like trust, kindness, affection, and other social behaviors.
• High in agreeableness: more cooperative.
• Low in agreeableness: more competitive and manipulative.

Conscientiousness

• Characteristics include thoughtfulness, good impulse control, and goal-directed behaviors.
• High in conscientiousness: organized and mindful of details.

Neuroticism

• Characteristics are sadness, moodiness, and emotional instability.
• High in neuroticism: experience mood swings, anxiety, irritability, and sadness.
• Low in neuroticism: more stable and emotionally resilient.

Openness

• Characteristics are imagination and insight.
• High in openness: creative, adventurous, and have a broad range of interests.
• Low in openness: more traditional and less in abstract thinking.

Motivation and Its Types

• Motivation inspires or stimulates an individual to act in a particular manner.

Internal Motivation or Intrinsic Motivation

• Motivation that comes from within to satisfy one’s own feelings.
• Depends on basic needs like biological needs, social needs and psychological needs.

External Motivation or Extrinsic Motivation

• Motivation that depends upon environmental factors.
• It can come from rewards.
• It can come from punishments.
• It can come from active participation.
• It can come from equipment and surroundings.
• It can come from teaching methods.
• It can come from Audio-Visual aids.
• It can come from Test-evaluations and competitions.
• It can come from Teacher-pupil relationship.

Techniques of Motivation

• Innovative curriculum can motivate sportspersons.
• Knowing each athlete can motivate sportspersons.
• Teachers as motivators can enable sportspersons.
• Freedom to beginners can motivate sportspersons.
• Level of aspiration or goal setting for sportspersons can improve motivation.
• Identifying incentive factors of sportspersons can motivate them.
• Assigning well-defined roles to athletes can motivate them.

Exercise Adherence

• Maintaining an exercise regimen for a prolonged time.
• Voluntary, self-regulated, and largely a psychological issue.

Determinants of Exercise Adherence

• Demographic variables like education and income affect the exercise adherence of people.
• Spousal Support is critical to enhance adherence rates for people in exercise programs.
• Group Exercising makes people exciting and interesting.
• Early Involvement in sports and physical activity can encourage one to adhere to exercise habits.

Reasons to Exercise

• Longevity
• Weight Control
• Bone Strength
• Strong Immune System
• Cholesterol Lowering Effect

Benefits of Exercise

• Improves mood and decreases feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress.
• Produces changes in the parts of the brain that regulate stress and anxiety.
• Plays a vital role in building and maintaining strong muscles and bones.
• Improves insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular fitness, and body composition.
• Decreases blood pressure and blood fat levels.
• Can provide antioxidant protection and promote blood flow.
• Protect skin and delays signs of aging.
• Improves blood flow to the brain.
• Helps health and memory.
• Can help protect mental function among older adults.
• Can help us to sleep better and feel more energized during the day.
• Has favorable effects on pain and can increase pain tolerance.
• Supports a fast metabolism and burning more calories per day.
• Helpful in maintaining self-confidence.

Strategies for Enhancing Adherence to Exercise

• Identify situations likely to cause lapses (travel, holidays, illness, etc.).
• Use realistic plans that work with exercise schedules and willingness.
• Make exercise fun, interesting, challenging, and enjoyable.
• Take adequate breaks during intensive exercise.
• Exercise with a group or club to avoid isolated exercise habits.

Aggression in Sports

• Aggression refers to the intent to cause mental or physical harm.
• This may come from stress, anger or insecurity.

Concept of Aggression in Sports

• In sports, aggression is often seen in the field where players play aggressively.
• Aggression is positive when players play within the rules of the game.
• Aggression becomes negative when players intend to harm.

Types of Aggression in Sports

Instrumental Aggression

• Main aim is to achieve a goal.
• Positive form of aggression when done to excel.
• Player tackles to win the ball and is not harming.
• Experienced players usually show controlled aggression.

Hostile Aggression

• Intended solely to cause harm or injury.
• Unplanned, impulsive reaction to another player.
• Can be planned to cause injury to an intended player.
• Often arises from insult, hurt, bad feelings, jealousy, and threat.