The best way to understand an individual is to understand the contexts and variables that had the greatest influence on that individual’s development (Myers & Sweeny, 2004). Therefore, the hallmark feature of the Indivisible Self model is the interaction between its components (i.e., local, institutional, global, and chronometrical contextual variables), which is highly correlative with Bronfenbrenner’s Social Ecology Model. While Bronfenbrenner’s framework and the Indivisible Self were not specifically developed for athletes, both can be directly applied to an athlete’s life, influences, and development. One of the many similarities between the Wheel of Wellness, Indivisible Self, and Bronfenbrenner’s models is they all advocate the importance of relationships and social support. In addition, research has indicated that social support or perceived social support is a beneficial coping mechanism for athletes or anyone else who is facing an aversive situation (Ford & Gordon, 1999; Myers et al., 2000). Therefore, Ford and Gordon (1999) examined social support as a coping mechanism for athletes who suffered a serious sport-related injury. …show more content…
The two male athletes played Australian football at a national level, one female played volleyball at a regional level, and one female played basketball recreationally (Ford & Gordon, 1999). Ford and Gordon (1999) conducted semi-structured interviews with open- and closed-ended questions that prompted athletes to discuss the influence of social support during his or her injury. Both females were interviewed prior to surgery and at intervals of 10-13 days, 43-50 days, 75-92 days, and 120-125 days post- surgery (Ford & Gordon, 1999). The males were not interviewed prior to surgery; however, they were interviewed at the same intervals as the females post-surgery (Ford & Gordon,
Taylor, J., & Taylor, S. (1997). Psychological Approaches to Sports Injury Rehabilitation. Gaithersburg, MD: 1997.
Figueroa’s framework has been developed to be an influential part of analysing one’s access and equity in exercise, sport, and physical activity (text book). Many social factors directly or indirectly shape opinions and influence an individual’s decisions to participate in physical activity, additionally these factors change throughout an individual’s life (Crossley, 2013). The individual, interpersonal, and institutional level of Figueroa’s framework have all significantly impacted my sporting pathway/career and will be examined further throughout this essay. Through these findings, I will also reflect and predict the level of framework that will primarily influence my future participation in sport.
College is a time for young people to develop and grow not only in their education, but social aspects as well. One of the biggest social scenes found around college campuses are athletic events, but where would these college sports be without their dedicated athletes? Student athletes get a lot of praise for their achievements on the field, but tend to disregard the work they accomplish in the classroom. Living in a college environment as a student athlete has a great deal of advantages as well as disadvantages that affect education and anti-intellectualism.
Athletes are often viewed specially because of their intense determination. They often beat themselves up in order to overcome what they think they can do. Breaking this threshold nearly always requires the overcoming of adversity. In sports psychology, when an athlete “not only makes it through [his] adversity, but acquires additional protective factors in the process”, he has undergone what is known as “resilient reintegration” (Galli, Nick, and Robin S. Vealey 318). This is especially the case when “an athlete returns with a greater appreciation of sport or a stronger work ethic than before” (319). According to exercise and sport scientist Galli’s study, athletes who overcame adversity were ninety percent more capable to cope with future adversities and perform “well in both sport and in life” (320). It is no surprise that people who have overcome adversities in their past are better suited to overcome them again. What is a surprise is how far this truly goes. In fact, this study shows that athletes who have returned from an
In the negative experience, the coach should ignore favouritism and focus on forming good relationships with all team members rather than just one or two and mentally aid an athlete. As an injured athlete I was unable to participate due to the severity of the injury. The coach should focus on all the players including the injured. Studies have shown that the support from the coach to an injured player reduces stress and improves motivation of the injured athlete (Nicholls and Jones,
However, what this argument does not take into account is that athletes have an abundance of pressure put on them that most non-athletes don’t ever experience. Hence, the saying, “go hard or go home”. A recent study emphasizes this fact as McClatchy notes, ”The researchers monitored mood levels of 465 collegiate athletes over three years and found 6.3 percent of the athletes met the criteria for clinically significant depression and 24 percent were considered ‘clinically relevant’ “ (2016). Studies like these prove that athletes are not blind to the idea of depression, but rather experience this disorder themselves. Anxiety has a huge role in depression. As sportsperson, there is constant effort to become an awe-inspiring player. As the stakes of the game raise, so does the anxiety. Some want a scholarship, some want to show off what they offer to a team that got a scholarship, and some are professionals. Regardless of whether it's grade school sport or a professional sport, failing at personal goals one set is down right depressing. Kearns and Hwang state that, ”While it’s not clear whether the source of challenges to a student-athlete's mental well-being is the same as those non-athletes, collegiate athletes are known to encounter unique stressor that the general population doesn’t have to deal with, such as the demands, relationships with coaches and missed scheduled classes” (2014). Pressure is something everyone experiences. However, athletes experience some of the same pressure that of non-athletes and then some. Being on a sports team is demanding to time and the idea of being “superior”. In athletics, coaches are everything. For example, If a coach likes how a person attributes as a team player, then that person will get a chance to shine. However, if the coach is not very fond of one, then the chances of opportunities are not very
The National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA, have set many limitations on the number of hours student athletes can spend on activities a week. Colleges have even gone to measures of restricting the number of athletes that can live together. These limits have been set so that athletes can interact with non-athletes. Engagement has been show to have a serious impact on student athlete success (“Athletes”). If athletes become isolated from non-athletes, they don’t learn how to socialize with other people besides who they see on the game field every day. They can’t explore different academic experiences or their identity outside of
Participation in sports has proven to increase self-discipline and self-esteem, and can teach athletes to learn from their mistakes and move on (Issitt). Athletes playing team sports also develop the ability to work well with others and use teamwork in their everyday lives. Teammates form relationships that are strengthened over a common passion and goal. These relationships can last long after high school is over (Chen). These social skills translate into better communication used with an athlete’s family, peers, and in the community. Likewise, “A 2006 study in Maryland found that student athletes are 15 percent more likely than non athletes to be involved in their communities and to take the time for civic engagements, including participating in voting and volunteer activities” (Issitt). The same study also concluded that athletes are far more likely to be comfortable with public speaking than non-athletes. This study provides concrete evidence that high school sports can help to gain mental and social skills that will be used later in life
Due to the nature of sport, athletes will always be faced with the possibility of becoming injured. Empirical research has demonstrated that injury has a psychological impact on athletes (Quinn & Fallon, 1999). Indeed, sports practitioners often witness negative psychological impacts such as depression and in extreme cases suicidal tendencies in the injured athlete (Jevon & Johnston, 2003). Injuries have a dramatic impact upon an athlete’s life (Deutsch, 1985), Crossman (1997) interviewed athletic trainers and established that 47% of respondents believed that every injured athlete suffered psychological trauma. Walker, Thatcher and Lavallee (2007), explain there is a need to advance current knowledge of the way injured athletes psychologically respond, with deeper understanding it would be possible to aid rehabilitation professionals and help the athlete cope better psychologically. Psychological issues have an important role in the athletes ability to recover from injury (Arvinen-Barrow, Penny, Hemmings, & Corr, 2010), understanding how an athlete responds will have multiple practical implications. Ford and Gordon (1997) suggest that if an athlete experiences negative emotions then it will lead to non-complinace of the rehabilitation process. In order to understand athletes psychological responses to injury several frameworks have been suggested. These include the: integrated model of response to sports injury and rehabilitation (Wiese-Bjornstal, Smith, Shaffer, & Morrey, 1998), the Bio-Psychosocial model of sport injury rehabilitation (Brewer, Andersen, & Van Raalte, 2002), the staged-based grief response models (Kubler-Ross, 1969) and the stage model of the return to sport (Taylor & Taylor, 1997).
People who have become involved in sports and recreation develop a larger group of friends, receive more social support, and are more likely to engage in conversation with o...
Children who participate in sports are developing rapidly in sports skills, sportsmanship, and psychologically, but does this come from organized sports are just nature’s process. Children develop emotional and social benefits from participating in sports. Children experience character and leadership development through peer relations leading to an increase in self-esteem and a decrease in anxiety levels. Children will get opportunities to experience positive and negative emotions throughout their practice and games trials. It is important for the coach to understand the “psychology of youth sports and physical activity participation” (Weinberg & Gould, 2011 p.516).
...ompetition environment. There is increasing recognition by the sports community that supporting athlete mental health is a vital aspect of competitive performance, and is as integral to success as the athlete’s physical abilities. The profession of sports psychology provides a very meaningful contribution to help facilitate athlete wellbeing and maximize the psychological skills required to compete at the highest level of competition.
In the article, “Athletes and Coaches Report Mental Health is Slightly More Important Than Physical Health in Overall Performance; Both Agree That More Communication is Needed to Address Mental Health Concerns.”, the Minds in Motion Depression Awarenes Campaign conducted a survey and found that the athletes and coaches believed that “mental health shares an equal, and/or slightly greater role than physical health, in defining peak athletic
In Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, there are five systems that ultimately influence an individual. The first system is the microsystem, which consists of the people who have direct contact to an individual. In my own life, my immediate family consists of my mother and I. I am an only child to my mother and since my mother and my father have been separated since I was a baby, he has not been part of my microsystem. In addition, I am also a student at CCP. I have a network of friends whom I keep in close contact with. The people that I encounter at home, school, and work have direct contact with me and thus, they are part of my microsystem.
During the semester, I learned a lot on how to deal with psychological distress and how as an athletic trainer I should deal with athletes to overcome their situation and be there for them. Throughout my time as an athletic training student, I always liked to observe my preceptors on how they deal with athletics that are having psychological distress after injuries, and how as an athletic trainer I should handle these situations in a professional manner. There is one situation in particular that occurred during the King’s College football season that I would like to discuss.