Unfortunately in competitive sporting environments, injuries are likely to occur. As a basketball player, despite strength and conditioning training, knee and ankle injuries are frequent occurrences which almost cannot be avoided. Keeping positive and focused during time out of sport and throughout recovery is something players often struggle with, and without the right environment and […]
We usually see the bright side of top level sports. Our favorites lifting the trophy or being decorated with an Olympic medal. We cheer for them – and do not always consider all the hard work and training hours these athletes must endure on their way to the top. The process of developing into the […]
Motivation involves the biological, emotional, social and cognitive forces that activate our behaviour. In simpler terms, motivation is used to describe why we do something. Motivation is a big topic of conversation in all sports. Whether it is amongst pundits, fans or academics, it always provides a strong debate on how and why athletes are […]
There are many theories surrounding the development of personality. The Biological Approach to personality suggests that genetics are responsible, with a well researched link between genetics and personality traits (Eysenck, 1967). Behavioural theories associate personality characteristics with the individual and their interaction with the environment; focusing on learning stemming from increased behaviours that have positive […]
In August of last year I moved to the USA to play soccer for a small university in Tennessee. What we achieved as a team was more than any of us could have imagined, or even dreamt about whilst going through a brutal pre-season at the beginning of August. We under-achieved in our conference, lost […]
A controversial issue within the psychology field is perfectionism. Perfectionism is described as a broad multidimensional personality trait characterised by the pursuit of extremely high standards; striving for flawlessness, and over critical performance evaluation (Frost et al. 1990; Flett & Hewitt, 2005). Some may debate that being a perfectionist athlete is admirable because of the desire […]
Motivation is a significant influence during sporting activity. Within a sporting context motivational factors are imperative when an attempt to maintain standard is made. As a result, awareness towards sustainment of a performer’s motivation has become increasingly investigated in sport, both in participation and competition. In particular Deci and Ryan’s (1985) Self Determination Theory (SDT) […]
Whether you are an elite athlete or just someone looking to maintain their New Year’s Resolutions, motivation is relatively complex and extremely unique. There are multiple forms of motivation, each describing why someone does something, often unconsciously. Essentially it boils down to two main forms of motivation, which lie on a continuum. At one end […]
With over a billion Facebook users, more than 9,000 Tweets posted per second and an average of 55 million photos uploaded via Instagram everyday, it’s hard to escape the weird and wonderful world of the ever growing social networking sites. Hours can be wasted scrolling through the hundreds of friends status updates and latest celebrity […]
Extrinsic motivation is ‘external’: people – in this case athletes – are driven to succeed by factors from outside i.e. money, prizes, acclaim, status, praise. Intrinsic motivation comes from within i.e. an athlete driven by a need to succeed because they want to be the best and are not overly concerned by financial or ego […]