
What Is Sports Psychology?
Sports psychology uses insights and skills to address the needs of athletes. This may include areas of development and social aspects in terms of sports participation. It also includes a focus on systemic issues within the sports setting and in organizations and how that impacts athletes. This area of study aims to focus on emotional, mental health, and other aspects of psychology as it relates specifically to athletes and others within the field.
What does a sports psychology graduate study?
Sports psychology graduate students are involved in a diverse range of research topics, from the importance of personality factors in athletic performance to the benefits of exercise for non athletes. Within each of these topic areas, researchers are generally concerned with how to improve performance (both at an individual and team level), improve health, or manage the impact of athletics on other areas of life.
The Association of Applied Sports Psychology hosts an annual conference at which researchers share current findings in the fieldathletic performance to the benefits of exercise for non-athletes. Within each of these topic areas, researchers are generally concerned with how to improve performance (both at an individual and team level), improve health, or manage the impact of athletics on other areas of life. The Association of Applied Sports Psychology hosts an annual conference at which researchers share current findings in the field.
What Sports Psychology Research Topics Exist?
Often, when students enroll in a sports psychology program, they focus their education on specific sports psychology topics. These are often research topics in sports psychology that the student hopes to study further or gain more insight into before approaching that career path. They may engage in research projects within these areas, or they may take specific courses that focus on this area of education.
Youth Sports
The research on youth sports focuses typically on youth involvement in athletics. This could include understanding how sports play a role in the development of a child in how it impacts developmental health. It may study areas such as how social skills develop in younger generations when they engage in sports (or when they do not). It may also consider factors related to over training, self esteem, over confidence, and leadership.
Personality and Motivation
Sports psychology may focus on the study of personality and motivation. This may look at areas such as confidence, self esteem, perfectionism, and mental wellbeing for those who participate in sports. The areas of study here may include topics ranging from the development of overconfidence to a study of how sports performance impacts motivation. In some situations, students learn sports impact overall personality traits such as being open and aggregable or extroverts or introverts.
Team Dynamics and Coaching
In this area of psychology, the focus is on team impacts. Wins or losses, for example, impact teams in different ways. The focus in this area is on how and why that occurs. There may be topics covered, such as the importance of individual team members working together and being compatible. It may also focus on the important roles that individuals play within the team environment, such as leadership and supportive individuals.
Elite Performance
While many would think elite performance in a sport is about physical prowess, there is also a mental health component to the process as well. These sports psychology research topics focus on understanding what helps these specific athletes to be significantly different physically and mentally. In addition, there is also a focus on how that elite ness impacts their overall motivation, lifestyle, pressures, stressors, and other aspects of their life. Researchers may monitor athletes as they transition from young athletes to successful professional or Olympic athletes.
Non Athletes
Another area of sports psychology is on the non athlete, or the person that works in the field of sports but is not performing within it. This includes a focus on both exercise and health topics related to these individuals. It may also include a focus on health and wellness, including fitness and exercise regimens, impact people (who are not athletes). This may include factors that motivate a person to work out or a better understanding of what types of exercise programs get the desired results.
