Advanced psychological strategies and competitive anxiety responses in sport

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Author
Hanton, Sheldon
Wadey, Ross
Mellalieu, Stephen D.
Date
2008Type
Article
Publisher
Human Kinetics
ISSN
0888-4781
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This study examined the use of four advanced psychological strategies (i.e., simulation
training, cognitive restructuring, preperformance routines, and overlearning of
skills) and subsequent competitive anxiety responses. Semistructured interviews were
employed with eight highly elite athletes from a number of team and individual sports.
Participants reported using each strategy to enable them to interpret their anxiety-response
as facilitative to performance. Only cognitive restructuring and overlearning
of skills were perceived by the participants to exert an influence over the intensity of
cognitive symptoms experienced. The perceived causal mechanisms responsible for
these effects included heightened attentional focus, increased effort and motivation,
and perceived control over anxiety-related symptoms. These findings have implications
for the practice of sport psychology with athletes debilitated by competitive
anxiety in stressful situations.
Journal/conference proceeding
The Sport Psychologist
Citation
Hanton, S., Wadey, R. and Mellalieu, S.D. (2008) 'Advanced psychological strategies and competitive anxiety responses in sport', The Sport Psychologist, 22 (4), pp. 472-490.
Description
Publisher's PDF made available in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy [as at May 2013]
Collections
- Sport Research Groups [620]
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