This book offers a student-friendly introduction to the discipline of sport psychology. All the key psychological issues in sport are explored, and difficult questions are raised: are athletes born or made? Does playing sport affect personality? What effect do cultural beliefs have on personal sporting development? Matt Jarvis has substantially revised and expanded his original coverage of the subject from the highly successful first edition (Sport Psychology (1999) in the Routledge Modular Psychology series). Here he provides a succinct but comprehensive account of major theory and research in sport psychology, whilst maintaining the readable style and student-centred approach which made the previous book so successful. Key issues covered include: Personality and sport Attitudes to sport Aggression Social factors affecting performance Arousal and anxiety Motivation and skill acquisition. There is an emphasis not merely on learning about sport psychology, but also on developing critical and creative thinking. In addition, the book includes chapters on conducting research and writing essays in sport psychology, as well as reflective exercises throughout the text.

Now available in paperback, the Routledge Handbook of Applied Sport Psychology is a definitive guide to the theory and practice of applied sport psychology. It goes further than any other book in surveying the full variety of issues that practising sport psychologists will confront in their working lives. It introduces the most important tools and skills that psychologists will need to be truly helpful to their clients, and it also adopts a holistic definition of the role of the sport psychologist, explaining how effective counseling, assessment, and therapeutic models can add important extra dimensions to professional practice. The book is divided into seven thematic sections, addressing: counseling; assessment; theoretical and therapeutic models; issues for the individual athlete, from injury and overtraining to depression; issues for teams, from conflict resolution to travel; working with special populations; mental skills, such as imagery, goal setting, and concentration. Moving beyond the traditional tracks of clinical psychology and performance enhancement, the authors in this book argue convincingly that psychologists would benefit from attempting to understand athletes’ social and familial contexts, their health, happiness, and interpersonal dynamics in the broadest sense, if they are to serve their clients’ best interests. With contributions from many of the world’s leading sport psychologists, and with clear descriptions of best practice in each chapter, the Routledge Handbook of Applied Sport Psychology is essential reading for all serious students and practitioners of sport psychology, counseling, applied sport science, health psychology, and related fields.

"The first book of its kind, the Handbook of Research on Sport Psychology contains an extensive array of chapters on theories, research, and applications authored by a host of international experts." "This valuable resource not only covers what is presently known in sport psychology, but extends to the frontiers of investigation, where conclusions have yet to be drawn. The authors emphasize a comprehensive treatment of each research area cited and link findings and methods throughout the Handbook's entire research collection." "Ultimately, this book provides its readers with useful theoretical explanations for current findings in sport psychology and guides them to new areas of research activity." "The Handbook's forty-four chapters begin with a general orientation on research in sport psychology. The book goes on to cover a variety of specialized areas of research and influence in the field. The second section deals with assessment of skill acquisition, followed by a section on psychological characteristics and high-level performance. Another section deals with social-cognitive dimensions of motivation, leading to a discussion of research on popular psychological techniques that may enhance athletic performance." "Social factors such as socialization, moral psychology, and the impact of spectators on athletic performance are addressed, followed by a specific consideration of group structure, leadership, and group psychology. Also assessed are the connections between sport and life-span development, including age, gender, and enhancement of the quality of life. The coverage of specific research topics concludes with discussions on exercise and health psychology." "The Handbook goes on to explore research methodology in a stimulating section on psychometrics. Analyses of research paradigms and protocols typically used in sport psychology are provided, as well as suggestions on how to improve current research methods. The final section of the book addresses moral and professional-ethical issues in sport psychology and how they are being resolved today. Extensive bibliographies are appended to chapters throughout the book." "The Handbook of Research on Sport Psychology is an invaluable resource for every college and university library, sport psychologist, athlete, and coach. Sport psychology professors should also seriously consider the adoption of this text for their graduate classes and as a sourcebook for research in the field."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The first systematic collaboration between cognitive scientists and sports psychologists considers the mind–body relationship from the perspective of athletic skill and sports practice. This landmark work is the first systematic collaboration between cognitive scientists and sports psychologists that considers the mind–body relationship from the perspective of athletic skill and sports practice. With twenty-six chapters by leading researchers, the book connects and integrates findings from fields that range from philosophy of mind to sociology of sports. The chapters show not only that sports can tell scientists how the human mind works but also that the scientific study of the human mind can help athletes succeed. Sports psychology research has always focused on the themes, notions, and models of embodied cognition; embodied cognition, in turn, has found striking confirmation of its theoretical claims in the psychological accounts of sports performance and athletic skill. Athletic skill is a legitimate form of intelligence, involving cognitive faculties no less sophisticated and complex than those required by mathematical problem solving. After presenting the key concepts necessary for applying embodied cognition to sports psychology, the book discusses skill disruption (the tendency to “choke” under pressure); sensorimotor skill acquisition and how training correlates to the development of cognitive faculties; the intersubjective and social dimension of sports skills, seen in team sports; sports practice in cultural and societal contexts; the notion of “affordance” and its significance for ecological psychology and embodied cognition theory; and the mind's predictive capabilities, which enable anticipation, creativity, improvisation, and imagination in sports performance. Contributors Ana Maria Abreu, Kenneth Aggerholm, Salvatore Maria Aglioti, Jesús Ilundáin-Agurruza, Duarte Araújo, Jürgen Beckmann, Kath Bicknell, Geoffrey P. Bingham, Jens E. Birch, Gunnar Breivik, Noel E. Brick, Massimiliano L. Cappuccio, Thomas H. Carr, Alberto Cei, Anthony Chemero, Wayne Christensen, Lincoln J. Colling, Cassie Comley, Keith Davids, Matt Dicks, Caren Diehl, Karl Erickson, Anna Esposito, Pedro Tiago Esteves, Mirko Farina, Giolo Fele, Denis Francesconi, Shaun Gallagher, Gowrishankar Ganesh, Raúl Sánchez-García, Rob Gray, Denise M. Hill, Daniel D. Hutto, Tsuyoshi Ikegami, Geir Jordet, Adam Kiefer, Michael Kirchhoff, Kevin Krein, Kenneth Liberman, Tadhg E. MacIntyre, Nelson Mauro Maldonato, David L. Mann, Richard S. W. Masters, Patrick McGivern, Doris McIlwain, Michele Merritt, Christopher Mesagno, Vegard Fusche Moe, Barbara Gail Montero, Aidan P. Moran, David Moreau, Hiroki Nakamoto, Alberto Oliverio, David Papineau, Gert-Jan Pepping, Miriam Reiner, Ian Renshaw, Michael A. Riley, Zuzanna Rucinska, Lawrence Shapiro, Paula Silva, Shannon Spaulding, John Sutton, Phillip D. Tomporowski, John Toner, Andrew D. Wilson, Audrey Yap, Qin Zhu, Christopher Madan

This book offers a student-friendly introduction to the discipline of sport psychology. All the key psychological issues in sport are explored, and difficult questions are raised: are athletes born or made? Does playing sport affect personality? What effect do cultural beliefs have on personal sporting development? Matt Jarvis has substantially revised and expanded his original coverage of the subject from the highly successful first edition (Sport Psychology (1999) in the Routledge Modular Psychology series). Here he provides a succinct but comprehensive account of major theory and research in sport psychology, whilst maintaining the readable style and student-centred approach which made the previous book so successful. Key issues covered include: Personality and sport Attitudes to sport Aggression Social factors affecting performance Arousal and anxiety Motivation and skill acquisition. There is an emphasis not merely on learning about sport psychology, but also on developing critical and creative thinking. In addition, the book includes chapters on conducting research and writing essays in sport psychology, as well as reflective exercises throughout the text.

The fourth edition of a classic, leading resource for the field of sport, exercise, and performance psychology Now expanded to two volumes, and featuring a wealth of new chapters from highly respected scholars in the field, this all-new edition of the Handbook of Sports Psychology draws on an international roster of experts and scholars in the field who have assembled state-of-the-art knowledge into this thorough, well-rounded, and accessible volume. Endorsed by the International Society of Sport Psychology, it represents an invaluable source of theoretical and practical information on our understanding of the role of psychology in sport, exercise, and performance—and how that understanding can be applied in order to improve real-world outcomes. Presented in eight parts, the Handbook of Sports Psychology, 4th Edition adds new material on emerging areas such as mindfulness, brain mapping, self-consciousness, and mental toughness, and covers special topics such as gender and cultural diversity, athletes with disabilities, and alcohol and drug use in sports. In addition, it covers classic topics such as what motivates an athlete to perform; why do some choke under pressure; how do top performers handle leadership roles; what does one do to mentally train; how an athlete deals with injury; and much more. Fourth edition of the most influential reference work for the field of sport psychology New coverage includes mindfulness in sport and exercise psychology, ethics, mental toughness, sport socialization, and making use of brain technologies in practice Endorsed by the International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP) Handbook of Sports Psychology, 4th Edition is an indispensable resource for any student or professional interested in the field of sports psychology.

A practical handbook for sports psychologists that outlines the most effective interventions for athletes across a variety of sports. A practical manual for the growing force of sports psychologists helping today's athletes to unprecedented levels of application and success Offers specific guidance on the psychological assessment of athletes, uniquely presented in an accessible sport-by-sport format Written by an experienced practicing sports psychologist and author, who draws on his own methods and experience in the field