Below are lecture materials attached to the YouTube video The Long term goal statement.

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?

1) Systematic study of people and their behavior

2) Founded by Wilhelm Weindt

3) Began in 1879

4) Youngest of all sciences

* Some dispute whether it is a science at all

SPORT PSYCHOLOGY

Scientific study of people and their behaviors in sport/exercise contexts and the application of that knowledge

ROLES OF THE SPORTS PSYCHOLOGIST

1) Research Role

2) Teaching Role

* Exercise Psychology

* Applied Sports Psychology

* Social Psychology of Sports

3) Consulting Role

* Sports

- U.S. Olympic Committee

- Major Universities

- Professional Sports Teams

- Athletes

- Clinics and Workshops

4) Fitness Industry

* Designing exercise programs

* Maximizing participation

5) Sports Medicine

* Psychological services to injured athletes

WHAT DO SPORT PSYCHOLOGISTS DO?

1) Performance improvement programs

2) Selection/Screening/Counseling

3) Improve Communication

4) Crisis intervention

5) Program Development

6) Function as Therapist

Psychology focuses on attributes and

processes that take place within the individual

Motivation

Perception

Cognition

Self esteem

Self confidence

Attitudes

Personality

REASONS FOR SPORT PSYCHOLOGY

Pursuit of excellence by athlete

-Athletes were the first to recognize the potential of sport psychology

-Athletes are always looking for a leg up on their competition

* Anything that will give them an advantage over their opponents

Sport as a political tool

-Goes back to the least the Ancient Olympic games

-Hitler use the 1936 Berlin Olympics to promote his theories of Aryan superiority

-The Soviet Union was notorious in using sports to promote their communist ideology

High salaries in sports

-Sports is big business

-There is a lot of money involved

-A lot of pressure on athletes to perform

-Emphasis drive by elite/superstar athletes and sports organizations

Recognition gained from sports

* Sports can be a means for enhancing feeling of self-esteem and self-worth not only in sports,

but other areas of the individual’s life as well

Spectator interest

-Millions of people watch sports on a weekly basis

-And, there are vicarious benefits that can be derived from just watching sports

-A sport psychologist can do a lot to promote and enhance these benefits

Fitness movement

-How do we encourage people to exercise

-How do we motivate them to stick with an exercise program

MAJOR SUBAREAS OF PSYCHOLOGY

Clinical Psychologist- 34%

Diagnoses and treats severe behavior and mental disorders-

Counseling Psychologist- 13%

Provides counseling and therapy to assists people in dealing with problems of everyday living-

Developmental Psychology- 12%

Studies life span issues such as moral, social, motor and intellectual development

Experimental Psychologists- 8%

Conducts basic and applied research in core areas of psychology

* Learning

* Motivation

* Cognition

* Physiological psychology

~ All internal processes

Social/Personality Psychology- 6%

Studies individual and group differences

Industrial/Organizational Psychology- 5%

Assists in making the workplace more productive and satisfying

Educational/School Psychologist- 4%

Assesses and remediates behavioral problems in and provides career counseling

Others- 18%

Ergonomics

Environmental

Neuroscience

Psychopharmacology

Sport

FACTS ABOUT THE PROFESSION OF PSYCHOLOGY

Work settings

Work in academic settings- 32.2%

Work in hospitals and/or clinics- 25%

Work in government- 16.3%

Work in private business- 10.4%

Work in school systems- 8.1%

Work in independent practice- 5.7%

Gender Issues

Percentage of Ph.D. holders in psychology who are female- 64.8%

Percentage of all master’s degree students who are female- 78%

Percentage of all graduate students in psychology who are female- 75%

Percentage of the membership of the American Psychological Association (APA) membership who are female- 58%

Percentage of the APA Division 47, Exercise and Sport Psychology who are female- 39.2%

Minority Issues

Percentage of Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians who are members of the APA- 5.4%

REFERENCES

Weinberg, R. and Gould, D. (2015). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology. 6^th ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.