Emotions, Stress, and Athlete Development: Key Psychological Factors

Emotions, Stress, and Athlete Development

Examples of negatively toned emotions are anger, anxiety, sadness, etc. Using the example of the elite female shooter, she demonstrates how anxiety can be a good or bad thing. She can positively use negatively toned emotions to be fully aware of shooting her targets and also explains how if she was calm while shooting, it would frighten her more than calm her nerves. On the other hand, she explains that if she were to use a completely different rifle she may feel anxious, and in turn, be too afraid to use it. This is an example of how negatively toned emotions can be both useful and harmful.

The Impact of Stress and Anxiety on Performance

The level of anxiety or stress can decide whether or not the athlete will perform up to their full potential or fall short of their normal abilities. The intensity of their stress is key. Athletes have an optimal zone, which means that they have a specific amount of stress that they can endure during a competition. If the level of stress exceeds or falls short of that amount, they are more than likely to perform below their potential. Overall, the level of anxiety or stress is beneficial for an athlete’s performance, but it must remain at a level that can be controlled by the specific athlete.

Motivation and Exercise

To facilitate motivation for future participation, an exerciser should be in the high-activation pleasant affect quadrant during exercise. After exercise, the exerciser should be in the low-activation pleasant affect quadrant.

Holistic Lifespan Perspective

The holistic lifespan perspective is an understanding of athletes’ development as multifaceted, and an athlete as a person doing sport and having other life issues (studies, work, family, peers, etc.). It is very crucial when understanding athletes with respect to career transition research because it allows the athlete to be examined from a psychological and psychosocial point of view, and also outlines their normative athletic and non-athletic transitions. Overall, by examining their other life issues, we can ultimately gain a greater understanding of the athletes.

Career Assistance in Sport Psychology

Career assistance is a new trend in sport psychology which focuses on helping athletes with various issues related to their careers in and outside of sport. It is a necessary approach to create international networks among athletes, further develop and evaluate the effectiveness of athletes using new and dynamic research approaches, and to help prevent crisis situations among athletes. Career assistance is a method of helping athletes on and off of the field, and is a necessary addition to their professions because it is a source of available help. Athletes carry a large burden of work, emotions, as well as a great deal of stress, and giving them a source of help is a priceless addition. Furthermore, it is professional help to deal with multicultural athletes, which is a growing trend throughout the sport community, and career assistance can help to tend all of the rising issues that come along with the topic.

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

SEL is a comprehensive approach to build competence, reduce risk factors, and foster protective mechanisms for positive youth adjustment and development. It is a product which stands for social and emotional learning in the context of sport and exercise. It is very important because it is a process for helping children and adults develop life skills that are fundamental for life effectiveness. SEL teaches skills we need to handle ourselves, our relationship, and our work effectively and ethically. These skills include recognizing and managing our emotions, setting and achieving positive goals, developing care and concern for others, establishing positive relationships, making responsible decisions, and handling challenging situations constructively and ethically.