For decades, elite athletes have used mental skills training to enhance their performance. The effectiveness of these skills and strategies have been measured, documented and supported in research (e.g., Feltz & Landers, 1983; Vealey, 1994). As the remarkable benefits of mental skills continue to reach an ever-growing community of performers, it is surprising that many military organizations, known for their high standards for performance and little tolerance for error, have yet to take full advantage of this type of training. Canada’s Air Force (CAF), home to a world-renowned pilot training program, now finds itself seeking additional tools to empower pilots to achieve consistent, high quality performance under demanding, high stress conditions. The purpose of this research was to explore the psychological skills used by elite Canadian military pilots to perform successfully in this highly demanding occupation. Sixteen in-depth interviews were conducted with elite Canadian pilots at a CAF base in Saskatchewan. Results indicated that pilots utilized all seven elements of Orlick’s (2008) Wheel of Excellence over three phases of flight: pre-flight preparation, mission execution, and post-flight debriefs. Pilots also drew on elements of the Wheel of Excellence during deployments to combat zones. Effective stress management played an especially important role in this context. Recommendations for future research include mental skills usage and preparation specific to deployment contexts as well as the implementation of a specific, relevant mental skills training program within the existing CAF pilot training program

The importance of mental skills training (MST) is emphasized by previous/available research findings which show that by combining MST with physical training it enhances players’ ability to cope with the demands of the sport and subsequently results in better sport performance. The main aims of the present study (presented in two articles which can be read independently) were twofold. The first was to determine field hockey players’ perceived need for MST, and their perception regarding their ability to prepare psychologically for matches, as well as compile a general profile of their psychological skill for the total group and by gender. The second aim of the study was to determine the possible positional differences in mental skill levels among 91 South African tertiary institutions’ male field hockey. A total of one hundred and ninety seven (91 males and 106 females) South African field hockey players who competed in the 2008 University Sport of South Africa tournament participated in the study. The participants completed the Psychological Skills Inventory (PSI) and the Ottawa Mental Skills Assessment Tool–3 (OMSAT–3) questionnaires. The results from Article 1 showed significant gender differences from the Psychological Skills Inventory (PSI) according to which the males outperformed the females in the skills of concentration, activation and activation control. In addition, significant gender differences were observed for mental skills training (MST) measures for goal–setting and commitment in which the females outperformed the males, whilst the males fared better than the females in stress reaction. The hockey players perceived MST as important to enhance performance in field hockey. The players furthermore perceived their ability to prepare psychologically for matches as good, which contradicts the results from the questionnaires as the players showed poor mean scores for five of the six subscales of the PSI questionnaire. The results from article 2 showed that the goalkeepers had the lowest scores for seven of the 12 tested skills, whereas midfielders outperformed the other positions in six of the 12 subscales. It is clear from these results that MST is important for field hockey and therefore warrants the attention of all role players in field hockey. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Sport Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The aim of this study was to examine Icelandic elite athletes’ experiences in regard to the Olympic Games (OG)-2012. More specifically the focus was on the OG as a career transition process covering several phases in the Olympic cycle, having the Games as its culmination and followed by a career change. The athletic career transition model, the holistic lifespan perspective and temporal structure of the Olympic cycle guided retrospective interviews with six Icelandic athletes who (some years ago) were candidates to take part in the OG-2012. Among the six participants three were successful in the OG-2012, one was less successful and two participants prepared but were not qualified for the OG. Holistic-content and categorical-content analyses resulted in: (a) six core narratives describing and interpreting each athlete’s individual pathway through preliminary/basic preparation, selection process, Olympic season, the Games, and post-Games periods, and (b) sixteen themes following athletes’ major foci in each transition phase (e.g., “gaining international experience” and “getting financial support” in the preliminary/basic preparation, etc.) and also the transition resources perceived by athletes as necessary during the whole Olympic cycle (“prioritizing sports while balancing sport with work/school”, “organizational support” and “family support”).  Results are discussed in relation to the theoretical frameworks, previous research, and Icelandic context.

Orientador: Jair Lopes Júnior / Banca: Tereza Maria de Azevedo Pires Serio / Banca: Maria Regina Cavalcante / Resumo: No âmbito da Análise do Comportamento, instruções são definidas como estímulos verbais que descrevem, de modo completo ou fragmentado, relações de contingência em contextos específicos, sendo que as consequencias explicitadas ou implicadas poderiam ter modelado os mesmos repertórios descritos na ausência da instrução. A identificação de relações funcionais entre instruções e desempenhos operantes constitui-se em relevante objeto de investigação para a Análise do Comportamento. Este estudo procurou ampliar o alcance de tal objeto concentrando ênfase em caracterizar o comportamento do treinador de fornecer instruções de três jogos consecutivos da fase classificatória de um torneio de futebol júnior. Participaram a comissão técnica e 25 atletas. As verbalizações foram gravadas em vídeo na sala de preleções do hotel na qual a delegação esteve hospedada, bem como no campo de treinamento. O procedimento consistiu em duas etapas. Na Etapa 1 ocorreu um período de ambientação da pesquisadora com a equipe durante as atividades de preparação para a competição. Inicialmente sem a filmadora e posteriormente com a mesma, a pesquisadora observou e gravou preleções ministradas em situações de treinamentos de campo. A Etapa 2 consistiu na gravação em vídeo de três ocorrências consecutivas de três fases: Fase 1) preleção efetuada antes do último treino de campo que precedeu o jogo; Fase 2) preleção realizada antes do jogo no dia em que este foi realizado; Fase 3) preleção efetuada no primeiro treino após o jogo. Todos os registros em vídeo foram transcritos. Foram adotados três critérios para a classificação das instruções emitidas pelo treinador: audiência, topografia e características relacionais, definidas pelos elementos de contingências presentes no enunciado da instrução. A caracterização dos relatos foi efetuada simultaneamente... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: In Behavior Analysis, instructions are verbal stimuli that make entire or breaking up description about contingencies relations in situational constraints. The explicit or implied consequences in contingencies could shaped the same repertoires described in the instruction fault. The identification of functional relations among instructions and operant behaviors corresponds to relevant object of investigation to the Behavior Analysis. This study aimed to broaden the extent of such object by emphasizing the sporting coach's behavior when giving instructions in the routine of three consecutive games in the classificatory phase of a junior soccer tourney. The technical committee and twenty five athletes have participated on this project. The verbalizations were recorded on video on the conference room of the hotel, where the delegation had been accommodated, as well as in the training field. The procedure consisted of two stages. In the first stage, an involvement period was carried out among the researcher and the team during the preparation for the compettion. Initially, without the camera and after that with it, the researcher observed and recorded previous instructions ministered in training situations in the field. The second stage consisted in the video recording of the three consecutive events of three phases: Phase 1) previous instructions which happened before the last training field that preceded the game; Phase 2) previous instructions that happened before the game, on the day it was accomplished; Phase 3) previous instructions that happened on the first training after the game. All the video records were transcribed. Three criteria were adopted to classify the instructions that were given by the coach: audience, topography and relational characteristics, defining as contingencies elements related by instructions. The characterizations of the instructions were simultaneously... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Desde uma perspectiva cartográfica, este trabalho pretende analisar os processos de subjetivação no campo dos esportes orientados para o alto rendimento. Em primeiro lugar, escolhemos criticar a psicologia do esporte, propondo que esta disciplina, ao invés de privilegiar a expansão da vida, multiplica uma série de valores capitalísticos como a competitividade, a produtividade, a homogeneidade e o recorde. Em seguida, nós apresentamos a Democracia Corinthiana como um acontecimento que demonstra uma real experiência de democracia plena dentro de um dos maiores clubes de futebol do Brasil. Finalmente, consideramos que a emergência da Democracia Corinthiana promoveu um movimento de resistência à subjetividade capitalística a partir do âmbito das práticas esportivas de alto rendimento. / From a cartographic perspective, this work intends to analyze the processes of subjectivation on the field of the high performance sports. At first, we chose to criticize the sports Psychology, suggesting that this discipline, instead of producing life expansion, develops capitalistic values such as competitiveness, productivity, homogeneity and record. After that, we introduce the “Democracia Corinthiana” as a happening which demonstrates a real experience of full democracy with in one of de biggest soccer clubs in Brazil. And finally, we consider that the emergence of the “Democracia Corinthiana” promoted a movement of resistance to the capitalistic subjectivity started on the field of high performance sporting practices.

This qualitative study focused on how Danish practitioners made the transition into established professionals in the Danish field of applied sport psychology. This was done by: (1) examining demands, resources, barriers, coping strategies experienced during this transition into an established practitioner, and (2) to highlight the most important learning experiences made by the participants after having become established members of the Danish applied field of sport psychology. There were 6 participants in this study, 4 male- and 2 female. All considered established and accomplished within the Danish field of applied sport psychology. The level of experience ranged from 8-30 years of working with individual clients and teams. A semi-structured interview guide was created with help of the theoretical model by Stambulova (2003) i.e. the athletic carrier transition model. The interviews were coded using thematic content analysis and uncovered 256 raw data units which were categorized into five profiles; demands, barriers, resources, coping strategies and lessons learned during the transition. Rønnestad and Skovholt's (2003) theory of therapist development was used to determine what was required in order to consider an established professional. The results are discussed in relation to previous research and theoretical models. Lastly, the author has attempted to use the results to provide guidance and give advice to the new generation of novice practitioners in Danish field of applied sport psychology as well as Danish educational institutions. / Denna kvalitativa studie fokuserade kring hur danska praktiserande har lyckats etablera sig inom applicerad sportpsykologi i Danmark. Detta gjordes genom: (1) att undersöka krav, resurser, barriärer, copingstrategier inom övergången till en etablerad konsulent och (2) att uppvisa de viktigaste lärdomar deltagarna i studien gjorde sig genom deras etablering inom det praktiska fältet i dansk applicerad idrottspsykologi. I denna studien deltog 6 deltagare, 4 manliga och 2 kvinnliga. Alla betraktades som etablerade och succéfulla inom det danska fältet av dansk applicerad idrottspsykologi. Erfarenhetsnivån varierade från 8–30 års arbete med individuella klienter, grupper och lag. En semi-strukturerad intervjuguide gjordes med hjälp av den teoretiska modellen av (Stambulova, 2003) i.e. the athletic career transition model och användes för att samla in data i studien. Intervjuerna blev kodade och analyserade genom tematisk innehålls analys och 256 rådata utdrogs ur intervjuerna som i efterhand kategoriserades i en av sex profiler; krav, resurser, barriärer, copingstrategier eller lärdomar genom övergångs. Rønnestad and Skovholts (2003) teori om terapeuters utveckling användes för att värdera vad som behövdes för att kunna betraktas som etablerad professionell. Resultaten diskuteras i relation till tidigare forskning och teoretiska modeller. Slutligen försöka författaren att använda resultaten genom at ge goda råd och stöd till den nästa generationen av idrottspsykologiska rådgivare och danska akademiska institutioner.

Desde uma perspectiva cartográfica, este trabalho pretende analisar os processos de subjetivação no campo dos esportes orientados para o alto rendimento. Em primeiro lugar, escolhemos criticar a psicologia do esporte, propondo que esta disciplina, ao invés de privilegiar a expansão da vida, multiplica uma série de valores capitalísticos como a competitividade, a produtividade, a homogeneidade e o recorde. Em seguida, nós apresentamos a Democracia Corinthiana como um acontecimento que demonstra uma real experiência de democracia plena dentro de um dos maiores clubes de futebol do Brasil. Finalmente, consideramos que a emergência da Democracia Corinthiana promoveu um movimento de resistência à subjetividade capitalística a partir do âmbito das práticas esportivas de alto rendimento. / From a cartographic perspective, this work intends to analyze the processes of subjectivation on the field of the high performance sports. At first, we chose to criticize the sports Psychology, suggesting that this discipline, instead of producing life expansion, develops capitalistic values such as competitiveness, productivity, homogeneity and record. After that, we introduce the “Democracia Corinthiana” as a happening which demonstrates a real experience of full democracy with in one of de biggest soccer clubs in Brazil. And finally, we consider that the emergence of the “Democracia Corinthiana” promoted a movement of resistance to the capitalistic subjectivity started on the field of high performance sporting practices.

The overarching aims of this research were to advance knowledge of coach burnout and interventions addressing this syndrome by investigating (a) the associations between burnout, well-being, self-regulation capacity, and perceived stress in coaches, and (b) the perceived impact of a self-regulation intervention implemented with coaches experiencing moderate to high levels of burnout. A sequential mixed methods design was employed to collect quantitative and qualitative data in two separate phases. In Phase 1, an online survey was used to collect cross-sectional quantitative data from a sample of 260 Canadian developmental and elite sport coaches to assess associations between the variables of interest (i.e., burnout, well-being, self-regulation capacity, and perceived stress). Selected based on data from Phase 1, five coaches experiencing moderate to high levels of burnout then participated in a self-regulation intervention in Phase 2, which involved completing a workbook and a reflective journal and participating in a semi-structured intake and outtake interview before and after the intervention, respectively. Four studies were carried out to address the overall aims of this research. Phase 1. The purposes of Study 1 were to identify profiles of psychological functioning within a sample of coaches based on burnout and well-being indices, and investigate whether coaches in these profiles differed in their capacity to self-regulate and their perceptions of stress. Findings of the two-stage cluster analysis revealed that 54% of the coaches were characterized by a “thriving” profile (i.e., relatively low burnout and relatively high well-being), while 14% of the coaches were characterized by a “depleted” profile (i.e., relatively high burnout and relatively low well-being). The remainder of coaches were characterized by an “at-risk” profile (i.e., relatively high burnout and moderate well-being), which suggests that experiencing symptoms of burnout may not necessarily preclude coaches from experiencing well-being. Moreover, thriving coaches reported higher levels of self-regulation capacity and lower levels of perceived stress than coaches in the two more maladaptive profiles. Depleted coaches also reported higher levels of perceived stress than at-risk coaches. These findings speak to the salience of effective self-regulatory capacity and stress management skills in coaches’ adaptive functioning. Finally, depleted coaches worked longer hours and were more likely to be remunerated for their coaching than thriving coaches, demonstrating the importance of monitoring these situational factors to ensure coaches’ optimal functioning. The purpose of Study 2 was to examine the associations between self-regulation capacity, perceived stress, and burnout in coaches, and more specifically, to test the intervening variable effect of perceived stress in the association between coaches’ self-regulatory capacity and their emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Results of the structural equation modeling showed that coaches with greater self-regulatory competencies (i.e., self-control and self-observation) perceived less stress in their lives, and in turn, experienced less emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and greater personal accomplishment (i.e., lower burnout). A direct association between these self-regulatory competencies and coaches’ sense of accomplishment was also found. This indicates that effective self-control and self-monitoring competencies may enable coaches to feel more efficacious in their coaching, regardless of their perceptions of stress. Phase 2. The purpose of Study 3 was to investigate coaches’ subjective experiences of burnout in order to shed light on the complex emotional nature of this syndrome. To this end, idiographic, first-person narrative accounts of the five coaches’ subjective experiences of burnout were provided. The narratives revealed that burnout was highly individualized and characterized by a variety of emotions (e.g., apathy, anger, dejection) linked to the dimensions of burnout. Burnout had negative implications for the coaches’ well-being (e.g., loss of enjoyment) and their coaching practice (e.g., yelling at athletes), and was associated with deficits in the coaches’ self-regulatory capacity (e.g., resistance to healthy eating and exercise). These findings underscore the need for interventions to help coaches effectively manage their personal and professional life and their symptoms of burnout. The purpose of Study 4 was to implement a self-regulation intervention with coaches experiencing moderate to high levels of burnout and examine the perceived impact of this intervention on their self-regulation capacity and experiences of burnout and well-being. A content analysis of the coaches’ outtake interviews and five bi-weekly journals revealed that all five coaches learned to self-regulate more effectively by developing various competencies (e.g., self-monitoring) and strategies (e.g., task delegation) throughout the intervention. Four of the coaches also perceived improvements in their symptoms of burnout (i.e., felt less emotionally drained, more engaged with their work and/or accepting of their athletes, and more effective in their coaching) and their well-being (e.g., experienced more positive emotions, satisfaction with life, and autonomy). Overall, the results of the current research shed light on important personal resources (i.e., self-regulation competencies) that can be strengthened to help coaches prevent or manage burnout and achieve greater well-being. This research also provides data on the first known empirical investigation of an intervention implemented with coaches experiencing burnout. As such, the findings from this dissertation make novel empirical and practical contributions to the literature on coach burnout.

abstract: The challenges that face student-athletes when they retire from formal sport participation coincides with their loss of their athletic identity (how much they identify with their athlete role), often geographic upheaval, uncertainty of the future regarding alternate roles, and change in social support systems, which make this period more difficult to adjust to. This study explored the experiences of the retirement transition of graduating student-athletes. The current study aims to examine this unique experience through qualitative investigation into the collective experiences of student-athletes to identify overarching relevant themes common throughout this experience. The participants were 13 student-athletes who graduated in the Spring Semester of 2017 (May- June 2017), played their sport at a National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Institution at the Varsity level, and were not continuing to play their sport at the elite level. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants between five and eight months post-graduation. Thematic analysis was used to categorize participants’ responses and allow for an in-depth investigation of different factors affecting personal adjustment throughout this period. The five overarching themes identified were: the need for social connection, the impact of a goal-oriented mindset, preparedness for the transition, translatable skills from being a student-athlete, and the perspective of their own identity and purpose. The ability to shift perspective to retrospectively appreciate the student-athlete experience, while incorporating it as one part of their overall life journey, is discussed as a protective factor for positive transition outcomes. As the large majority of collegiate athletes do not continue to play their sport professionally, this population is in high need of continued guidance. The present work can inform interventions to aid student-athletes in this difficult transitional period. Mentorship from previously graduated student-athletes, coaches, or administrative programs are suggested as a tangible positive intervention strategy based off of the results. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Psychology 2018

The aim of this thesis was to investigate and appraise the utility of analogy and explicit instruction for applied sport and physical education settings. The objective for the first study was to explore the acute, short-term impact of analogical and explicit instruction in a dart-throwing task. While previous studies have devoted considerable resources to investigating the effects of verbal instruction on motor learning, this within-subjects study explored the impact of analogical and explicit instruction on motor control. Interestingly, results indicated that analogy and explicit instruction similarly impaired throwing accuracy—in both kinematic and outcome measures—compared to baseline conditions, conflicting with trends observed in the motor learning literature. In the second study, the differential effects of analogy and explicit instructions on early stage motor learning were examined by introducing an explicit light condition—in addition to a traditional explicit condition—that matched the analogy instructions in informational volume. Although analogy learners demonstrated slightly more efficient technique and reported fewer technical rules on average, the differences between groups were not statistically significant. Kinematic analysis, however, did reveal significant differences between conditions in joint variability, which decreased with learning for all groups, but was lowest overall for the analogy learners. For the final study, the thesis investigated the impact of analogy and explicit instruction on adolescent performance (mean age = 12.7 years, SD = 0.4) in a modified high jump task. To date, research in analogy instruction has only included adult participants whose movement tendencies have likely already been shaped by personal or vicarious experiences. Analyses indicated that there were no significant differences between the analogy and explicit participants in technical efficiency or joint variability. The key outcome from this thesis is that there is limited evidence to support the use of analogy instruction over explicit instructional methods in motor learning and motor control situations.