Some behaviors in sport may be labeled: bad, unnecessary and distasteful. Sport psychologists have used concepts of aggression to understand and lessen these behaviors. To date, most research has conceptualized aggression as a product of individual cognition. Specifically, aggression is defined in the sport psychology literature as any behavior motivated by the intent to harm one's opponent (Baron, 1977; Bredemeier & Shields, 1986b; Husman & Silva, 1984; Kirker, Tenenbaum & Mattson, 2000). Consequently, sport psychology analyses of aggression tend to reproduce take-for-granted conceptions of aggression as male, physical and other-directed. To better understand sport aggression, it has been argued that symbolic interactionism has much to offer (Baird & McGannon, 2009). By utilizing symbolic interactionism we can reconceptualize aggression as a social construct given meaning in and through interaction with self and others. From this perspective, self notions and interactions with others are important "locations" of meaning making and are significant in the study of behavior. The present study used symbolic interactionism to explore female rugby players' experiences of aggression and how they interpret, define and structure experiences relative to self development. In conjunction with participant-observation, 12 semi-structured interviews with female rugby players ages 18-45 were conducted to explore: (1) how do women define themselves as ruggers/how do they (re)produce these identities in and out of rugby, (2) how do women define and experience aggression, and (3) how are these accounts used in the construction of self/identity? Data emerging from interviews and observations suggested that athletes defined and experienced behavior in ways challenging contemporary sport psychology conceptualizations of aggression. The participants often used the word aggression to describe forceful and physical play. In sport psychology literature, this is typically referred to as assertive behavior (Husman & Silva, 1984; Tenenbaum, Saks, Miller, Golden, & Doolin, 2000) and aggressive behavior is a label reserved for unacceptable behavior motivated by the intent to harm (Tenenbaum et al., 2000). According to the women in this study, unacceptable behavior was not defined by intent; rather, unacceptable behavior was a negotiated space that was constructed through notions of lack of control. That is, if a player was constructed as out of control, that player was seen as engaging in unacceptable behavior. In terms of self/identity construction, pain, contact and aggression emerged as important in the (re)production of self-related experiences within and outside of rugby. Within rugby these characteristics indicated a player's rugbyness. Outside of rugby these characteristics were often exhibited by non-rugby players as proof that rugby was a male sport. These participants both resisted and reinforced that notion. Rather than (re)define rugby by other female characteristics, these athletes used their rugby selves to say that pain, contact and aggression are not male only behaviors. The women used the bruises on their bodies to claim their rugby selves and prove, "I'm more than you think I am." This research offers a unique glimpse of female collision athletes' experiences of aggression and contributes a new conceptualization of "unacceptable" behavior to the existent sport psychology literature.

Group development research conducted within applied sport psychology shares many conceptual similarities with the field of organizational studies. This thesis investigates how the cross-integration of two group development models referenced from separate fields of study can converge to produce a comprehensive analytic model for evaluating group performance. Integrating Tuckman's (1965; Tuckman & Jensen, 1977) successive five stage group development model with Carron's (1982) general conceptual system for cohesiveness in sport teams, this thesis develops an original integrative cross-disciplinary schematic for group development. Guided by a systems approach, the analysis of this model reveals how cross-disciplinary research conducted within these two fields serves to identify mutual benefits, while highlighting the similarities and differences from both group development models. A key contribution of this study is the consideration of opportunities for enhancing current knowledge, and the harmonization of strategic and humanistic approaches to management. The conclusions drawn from this thesis raise significant questions about the potential yielded through the adoption of theoretical applications from applied sport psychology to an organizational context.

Canadian university sports are gaining momentum as a high-performance sports culture, leading to greater demands and potential mental health (MH) risks for student-athletes. Despite the abundance of research and resources pertaining to MH, student-athletes continue to experience significant MH challenges. This thesis aimed to reimagine student-athlete MH support at a Canadian university using a Design Thinking (DT) approach. This was achieved through a case study about the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) Gee-Gees. DT is a creative and collaborative approach to understanding your end-users, challenging assumptions, and redefining problems to create innovative solutions you can prototype and test (Brown, 2008). The methodological framework was inspired by Hasso Plattner Institute’s (2018) six-step model: 1) understand, 2) observe, 3) point of view, 4) ideate, 5) prototype, and 6) test. This study explicitly engages in the first three steps of the HPI process, otherwise known as the “Compassion space” (Chambers, 2021). Findings from each step are presented through two journal articles and used to inform future research dedicated to the remaining three steps (“Solution space”; HPI, 2018). Article one focuses on the “Understand” phase, aimed to generate ecological insights from multiple stakeholders into how the varsity sports department at uOttawa supports student-athlete MH. Three activities were conducted incrementally, including stakeholder mapping (to identify relevant stakeholders), stakeholder analysis (to prioritize stakeholder engagement), and enabler interviews (to understand diverse perspectives on the explored topic). Nine enabler interviews were conducted and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings are presented through three themes: Enhancing the accessibility of MH services, providing proactive and holistic care, and building a sustainable integrated support team model. This case helps illustrate the varsity environment as one interconnected system and demonstrates the shared responsibility of all enablers to promote and protect positive MH. Article Two encompasses two HPI phases. First, the “Observe” phase is to observe the daily realities of uOttawa student-athletes in their localized varsity sports environment. To facilitate this, six digital stories were produced by student-athletes and analyzed using empathy mapping (i.e., interpreting what a person says, thinks, feels, and does). Individual empathy maps informed the subsequent “Point of View” phase, designed to establish a point of view from a student athlete's perspective and present the findings creatively and in an easily digestible manner. Six empathy maps were condensed into three fictional personas that help illustrate student-athlete experiences at uOttawa. Presenting these personable stories to relevant stakeholders will be beneficial to garnering deeper empathy and compassion for student-athletes experiencing MH challenges. The results of each phase yield a comprehensive understanding of student-athletes’ needs, experiences, and the environment in which they compete and study. Thereby contributing to the design of a (future) desirable, viable, and feasible solution the varsity sports department can implement. Moreover, supplementary methods and results are outlined to showcase the interdisciplinary collaborative approach used to understand further the uOttawa Gee-Gees high-performance integrated support team (IST), a crucial component for understanding the uOttawa’s varsity sports landscape. This thesis addresses new ways to explore student-athlete MH, contributes a Canadian perspective to student-athlete research, and paves the way for DT in the sports psychology field.

The overarching purposes of this research were to (a) explore an under-acknowledged and under-emphasized aspect of the sport-related concussion experience: psychosocial factors of the injury experience and (b) identify possible intervention opportunities to support the associated psychological and social needs. A collaborative inquiry (Bray et al., 2000) was employed to generate data on the psychosocial experience of concussions in elite sport and to co-develop support strategies from a sport psychology lens. This qualitative research project involved three phases during which psychological and social needs, as well as psychosocial factors that facilitated and/or hindered the concussion recovery process, were discussed through two lenses. The first lens was an experiential one, whereby elite athletes who became concussed as a result of their sport engagement shared their experiences (Phase A). The second lens was that of professional expertise, whereby mental performance consultants who work in elite sport and deliver psychosocial support to concussed elite athletes shared their perspectives and clients’ experiences (Phase B). Following the sharing of these perspectives, a community of practice (Wenger et al., 2002) of mental performance consultants was formed to collaboratively discuss how mental performance consultants might be able to support the aforementioned psychological and social needs, and ultimately, concussion recovery (Phase C). Phase A. Ten elite athletes (as defined by Swann et al., 2015) participated in semi-structured focus groups (Smith & Sparkes, 2016). Athletes discussed their experiences of injury, challenges, facilitators and barriers to recovery, support mechanisms, support that was lacking but desired, and what they would do to help someone else with a concussion. The transcripts from these focus groups (n = 5, M = 58.1 min, Range: 46-88 min), follow-up questions, and informal conversations were analyzed using thematic narrative analysis (Smith, 2016), contributing to an understanding of the athletes’ lived experiences. Phase B. Nine mental performance consultants from the Canadian Sport Psychology Association and/or Association for Applied Sport Psychology who were working in high-performance sport participated in three focus groups (M = 79 min, Range = 66-98 min). Mental performance consultants were asked about their time in the field and other aspects of their consulting experience (e.g., sports, integrated within teams or not), the types of interventions they have done with concussed athletes, their perceptions of psychosocial support during the phases of concussion management, and challenges to effective service delivery. Verbatim transcripts of these focus groups were sent to the consultants and member reflections were requested (Smith & McGannon, 2018). The generated data were thematically analyzed using a six-phase cyclical and iterative approach (Braun et al., 2016). Phase C. Eight mental performance consultants from various sport contexts formed a community of practice (Wenger et al., 2002; E. Wenger-Trayner & Wenger-Trayner, 2021). The group met over a period of four months (n = 8 meetings, M = 80 min, Range = 60-90 min). These meetings were intended to address the identified interests of the members of the community regarding support for concussed elite athletes. Concussion symptomatology, management efforts, and research were discussed; and professional scope of practice and intervention opportunities were explored through best practice discussions, client case studies, and engagements with two external experts. Mental performance consultants completed individual reflections (i.e., weekly reflective questions, value creation stories, personal value narratives; Wenger et al., 2011; E. Wenger-Trayner & Wenger-Trayner, 2015) resulting in 34 single-spaced pages of generated data, which were analyzed using the Value Creation Framework (E. Wenger-Trayner & Wenger-Trayner, 2015; 2021). The results of this multi-phase collaborative inquiry are presented in four articles. The first article offers a multi-systems perspective (Bronfenbrenner, 1977; 1979; 1992) on athletes’ concussion experiences by exploring two collaboratively created narratives (Wertz, 2011; Willis, 2019) from the engagements with athletes in Phase A. Five themes (i.e., athletic identity, (dis)trust in relationships, concussion protocols, sport culture, and timing related to major events and recovery) are discussed. The second article combines the perspectives of athletes from Phase A and mental performance consultants in Phase B to identify psychological and social needs across the concussion recovery process. Four psychological needs (i.e., acceptance, normality, confidence, self-efficacy) and two social needs (i.e., trust in relationships, social support) were identified by both populations. The third article was collaboratively written to practically present how and where mental performance consultants can support concussed athletes across the phases of the injury based on the discussions in Phase C. Scope of practice, collaboration opportunities, and intervention strategies are discussed across four phases of injury (i.e., pre-injury, injury onset, rehabilitation, return to sport). The fourth article reflects the mental performance consultants’ participatory experiences in Phase C by exploring the value of the community of practice as a professional development and knowledge translation tool. Positive value was experienced across all eight cycles of the Value Creation Framework. Through the general discussion and practical implications sections of this dissertation, these results are situated within the landscapes of concussion research and practice to highlight opportunities for transforming concussion protocols and broadening the overall lens through which the concussion experience can be examined.

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No description available.

This study attempted to explore the phenomenon of free throw shooting under pressure. The participants in the study were 10, Division III college basketball players who agreed to take part in an interview centered around free throw shooting. The data were gathered from the responses of the players, using a semi-structured interview, developed by the researcher with the suggestions and approval of an expert basketball panel, comprised of sport psychology professors, NBA sport psychologists, basketball coaches, and former players. Four of the interviews were done in person, while the other six were done over the phone. The interviews were transcribed and coded using a constant comparative method described by Boeije (2002). This entailed a process of open coding, which resulted in 65 codes. Of these 65 codes, 57 codes were assigned into eight categories during a process of axial coding. These categories were as follows; routine, practice, focus, pressure, pressure management skills, confidence, clutch factors, and non-clutch factors. Confidence was technically a sub-category of clutch factors, but was deemed large and separate enough to be its own category. The coding of interviews went through a process of inter-rater reliability via an independent coder. The independent coder and the researcher agreed on over 86% of the coded responses. The disagreements were discussed and a mutual understanding was established. Players emphasized the importance of a pre-shot routine, especially under high-pressure circumstances. Players discussed the importance of practice in preparation for high-pressure free throws. Players gave their level of focus on task-relevant and task-irrelevant stimuli when attempting free throws, both under normal circumstances and under pressure circumstances. Players revealed pressure management strategies that they used to aid in the performance of attempting high pressure free throws. Possible links to clutch performance were explored by the researcher. / Kinesiology

The purpose of this study was two-fold: to quantitatively explore competitive rowers' perspectives of the benefits and barriers to exercise, and to use follow-up qualitative interviews to elicit insight into rowers' views of their sport culture, personal experience, and what it takes to be a dedicated, adherent athlete. A mixed-methods approach was used with online surveys and semi-structured interviews. Participants were club and university rowers in the Northeast Atlantic region, all of whom were at least 18 years of age and actively rowing at the time of study One hundred thirty-one athletes, 77 female and 54 male, participated in the quantitative phase of the study. The online survey included the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS), a 43-item, 4-point Likert scale measure, and a Basic Demographics Questionnaire (BDQ). The EBBS measured perceived benefits of and barriers to physical exercise. Statistical analysis revealed no strong correlations between the EBBS factors and demographic data. An eight-factor solution resulted, with five benefits (psycho-physical competence, daily functional efficiency, psycho-emotional stability, preventative health, and social interaction) and three barriers (personal inconvenience, physical exertion, and family encouragement). The eight-factor solution correlated strongly with the original nine-factor solution from Sechrist, Walker, and Pender (1987). Nine participants, five men and four women, participated in follow-up interviews. Interviews were performed at a time and place convenient for the rower. The purpose of the interview was to elicit specific, genuine, rich content related to their rowing experience and how the benefits and barriers to physical activity and their place in rowing culture affect exercise adherence. Using an inductive-deductive approach prescribed by grounded theory, two core categories and additional sub-categories were developed in the coding process. From the data analysis, hindering factors and facilitating factors emerged as the core categories. Physical conditioning and health, optimization of personal characteristics, psycho-emotional stability, strong social community, environment, and interpretation of perceived barriers were subsumed under facilitating factors. The following sub-themes were contained in hindering factors: exercise demands, environment, and social issues. Rowers perceived strongly the benefits of their rowing experience, and stated that barriers are inherent to exercise and they are responsible for adapting to them. / Kinesiology

Little is known about the current state of multicultural training within sport psychology master's programs. The study explored students' perceptions of their multicultural training and program climate. Importantly, differences in perceptions were investigated based on students' demographic factors, given that students with marginalized identities tend to report less favorable perceptions of and experiences in graduate training. Participants (N = 107) consisted of students and recent graduates of master's level sport psychology programs. Participants reported moderate levels of feeling safe, valued, and comfortable within their master's program, low to moderate levels of multicultural training integration within their curriculum and supervision, and low to moderate satisfaction with their multicultural training. Asian, Asian American, bi/multiracial, Black, African American, Hispanic, and Latino/a/e students, compared to their White peers, reported less satisfaction with their multicultural training, felt less safe, comfortable, and valued within their programs, and perceived less integration of multiculturalism into curriculum and supervision. A multiple regression analysis revealed that, for all students, perceptions of multicultural training integration and reports of feeling safe, comfortable, and valued was significantly related to students' satisfaction with their multicultural training. Discussion focuses on possible explanations for these findings, training implications, and future research directions.

This qualitative study explored sport psychologists’ transition into professional establishment through the stories of two highly experienced Nordic sport psychology practitioners. At the time of the study, the two males (named Charlie and Billie for the study) had worked applied with clients for more than 20 years and were each holding a master’s degree in sport psychology. Narrative interviews were administered to investigate the participants’ stories of the transition from novice professional to experienced professional practitioner, with each interview lasting about one and a half hour. Additionally, participants were enquired on one follow up interview each to allow for further elaboration. The researcher then took the position of the story analyst (Smith, 2017) and conducted a thematic narrative analysis based on the gathered data. A narrative theme of “paving the way” emerged, relating to how the participants had to create their own work within a field that was not yet nationally developed or recognized and, as a consequence of this, had to pave the way for sport and exercise psychology as a professional and an academic field in their respective country. The findings are discussed based on common and individual reflections between the participants in relation to the overall narrative theme, their transition in general, previous literature, and theoretical frameworks. The practical implications provided by this study may assist novice and semi-experienced practitioners striving to get established, as well as supervisors and educational institutions to better support and prepare students for their upcoming careers as applied sport psychologists. / Föreliggande kvalitativa studie undersökte idrottspsykologiska rådgivares övergång till professionell etablering genom historierna från två väl erfarna nordiska idrottspsykologiska rådgivare. Vid studiens tidpunkt hade de två manliga deltagarna (kallade Charlie och Billie i den här studien) arbetat tillämpat med klienter i mer än 20 år och var och en av dem innehade en magisterexamen i idrottspsykologi. Narrativa intervjuer utfördes i syfte att undersöka deltagarnas historier om övergången från oerfaren till erfaren professionell rådgivare, varav varje intervju varade cirka en och en halv timme. Dessutom tillfrågades deltagarna att delta i varsin uppföljningsintervju i syfte att öppna upp möjlighet för ytterligare informationsgivande. Forskaren intog sedan perspektivet av en historieanalytiker (Smith, 2017) och utförde en tematisk narrativ analys baserat på den insamlade datan. Ett narrativt tema av ”bana väg” framkom relaterat till hur deltagarna varit tvungna att skapa sin egen tjänst inom ett fält som inte än blivit nationellt utvecklat eller erkänt. Som en konsekvens av detta fick de bana väg för idrotts- och motionspsykologin som ett professionellt och ett akademiskt område i deras respektive länder. Resultatet diskuteras utifrån gemensamma och individuella reflektioner deltagarna emellan vad gäller det övergripande narrativa temat, deras övergång generellt, föregående litteratur och teoretiska ramverk. De praktiska implikationerna som framförs till följd av denna studie kan bistå oerfarna och semierfarna rådgivare som strävar mot att bli etablerade och även handledare och utbildningsinstitutioner för att de bättre ska kunna förbereda och stötta studenter inför deras kommande karriärer som tillämpade idrottspsykologiska rådgivare.