Justine J. Reel Ph.D - Working out: the psychology of sport and exercise

Copyright 2015 by ABC-CLIO, LLC

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Reel, Justine J.

Working out : the psychology of sport and exercise / Justine J. Reel.

pages cm. (The Psychology of Everyday Life)

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-61069-677-7 (acid-free paper) ISBN 978-1-61069-678-4 (ebook)

1. SportsPsychological aspects. 2. ExercisePsychological aspects. I. Title.

GV706.4.R44 2015

796.019--dc23 2014046632

ISBN: 978-1-61069-677-7

EISBN: 978-1-61069-678-4

19 18 17 16 15 1 2 3 4 5

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Greenwood

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ABC-CLIO, LLC

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This book is printed on acid-free paper

Manufactured in the United States of America

This book is dedicated to my friend and colleague, Dr. Susan Connor. She was a tremendous support to me and made a tremendous difference in the lives of others. Dr. Connor knew the importance of enhancing ones psychological mindset in order to perform better and feel more fulfilled in life. She was extremely supportive of this book project before she lost the battle with cancer, and her spirit lives on.

Contents

Series Foreword

Psychology is the science of behavior; it is the field that examines how and why people do, feel, and think the things that they do. However, in a very real way, everyone is an amateur psychologist. Each of us observes and tries to understand the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of people we are around, as well as trying to understand ourselves. Have you ever thought, I wonder why she did that? Or perhaps, Why did I do that? It makes no sense. If you have, then you are asking psychological questions. Most people enjoy being students of human behavior and observing and thinking about people, human nature, and all of the variants of the human condition. The difference between most people and psychologists is that psychologists have spent many years in school studying and learning about people.

In addition to studying and doing research, psychologists also work directly with people in many settings. For example, clinical and counseling psychologists work with people who are dealing with psychological disorders or are having problems in their lives that require professional assistance, but there are many other branches of psychology as well. Sport psychologists work with athletes and teams to improve performance and team functioning. Industrial/organizational psychologists help workers, managers, and organizations function more effectively and efficiently. Military psychologists deal with military personnel and organizations. Forensic psychologists work with police and other law enforcement organizations to help solve crimes and assist law enforcement personnel. Understanding psychology can help people to live better and healthier lives and to deal more effectively with others.

The Psychology of Everyday Life is a series of books that will address many different and important psychological issues and areas, the goal being to provide information and examples of how psychology touches all of our lives on a daily basis. The series will also show ways in which psychological knowledge can help us. These books will address psychological concerns with the most up-to-date and relevant knowledge from the field of psychology. Information from laboratories, classrooms, clinics, hospitals, and other settings will be brought together to help make sense of some important and often complex ideas. These books will be directed toward readers who are not psychologists, but rather are interested in learning more about the field and what it has to offer. Thus, the language is not overly technical and is meaningful for regular people. There will be times when professional and technical language may be used, but only if thoroughly explained and related to the issues being discussed.

This series of books will focus on specific facets of our daily lives and show how psychology can help us understand and deal with these issues. A wide range of topics will be covered, from eating to exercising to relaxing to interpersonal conflict. Each book will consist of three distinct parts. Part I will answer the who/what/where/when/why/how questions related to the topic. These chapters will examine how the subject fits in our day-to-day lives and how it impacts our psychological well-being. Furthermore, the book will cover differences in mindsets about sport and exercise across the lifespan and the globe.

Part II will focus on real-life examples and will address many of the issues that were introduced in the first section using examples and explanations to make the issues even clearer. It is one thing to have knowledge, but it is an entirely different thing to be able to apply and use that knowledge, and this is what will be covered by the scenarios and interpretative analyses in Part II. When people read Part II they will begin to see many of the ways in which our daily lives are touched by psychology, and the many ways that psychology can be used to support and help people.

Part III will address the controversial issues related to the books subject. Like any academic and professional discipline, psychology has many areas where there are spirited disagreements among academics, practitioners, and researchers about important issues in the field. It will be very instructive for people to understand these issues, to see the careful and systematic ways that scholars think about and conceptualize various topics, and to see how they debate, discuss, and resolve some of their differences of opinion. For individuals new to the field of psychology, reading about controversial issues and how they are addressed will lead to a greater understanding of psychological matters as well as a better grasp of how scientists and professionals deal with differences in thought.

Psychology is a broad and diverse field with many different approaches, theories, methods, and ideas, and to capture this field in its breadth and depth would be impossible in a single book. This series of books, however, will serve as an introductory journey through psychology as it relates to the daily lives of ordinary people. I have been teaching, studying, and practicing psychology for many decades, and I can hardly wait to read each of the books in this very exciting series. I welcome readers to accompany me on this journey.

Rudy Nydegger, PhD, ABPP

Preface

This book represents an overview of a popular subjectsport and exercise psychology. It is common to think about sport psychology as being the mental side of the game. Are athletes motivated to play? What makes certain athletes more oriented toward setting goals? Why do certain athletes seem to need an extrinsic reward like a trophy or money to perform better? Professional players are often perceived to be loafing in games that are considered less important and leading up to the playoffs. However, why are certain players aggressively playing and working hard no matter what the stakes? Sport psychologists have what many people consider the dream job of studying and working with athletes to help them play better by working on the psychological aspects of their performance.