Research on burnout has typically focused on individuals in the human service or helping occupations, More recently studies and conceptual models have appeared investigating burnout in the athletic environment, The bulk of research 011 athletic burnout has been conducted on coaches and, consequently, there is a dearth of empirical research on athlete burnout. 'the present study compared tennis players with gymnasts to determine which group is more likely to experience a higher incidence of burnout. The study also sought to investigate whether any relationship was evident between sport specific factors on the one hand, and burnout, tedium and psychological distress on the other. Three objective questionnaires consisting of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MDI). Tedium measure and General Health Questionnaire 28 item scale (GHQ-28), as well as a sport specific questionnaire developed by the author, were used to collect data from 20 provincial and national tennis players (10 male and 10 female) and 20 provincial and elite gymnasts (10 male and 10 female). Statistical analysis of the questionnaires revealed a number of important findings. It was found that sport group was not a significant factor in the assessment of athlete burnout. Gender, however, was highly significant with females more likely to experience burnout than males. It was shown that females experience low levels of sport enjoyment, social support and personal accomplishment and high levels of sport pressure, emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, tedium and psychological distress. Key relationships were further identified between the sport specific variables of sport enjoyment, social support and sport pressure, and the burnout, tedium and psychological distress variables. Negative sport performance such as low enjoyment and social support and heightened feelings of sport pressure were strongly related to high levels of burnout, tedium and psychological distress. Recommendations for future research are made on the basis of these findings.

Sports and its effects on children have been researched for the benefits that it may bring. The purpose of this study is to see if sports competency, assessed by both peer reports and self-reports, benefits both boys and girls and whether it protects children who generally are gender-atypical from adjustment difficulties and also to see if there are any interactive influences of cross-gender typing and sports competency on self-esteem, depression, and other adjustment indexes. Our results found that there was a significant interaction between sports competence and cross-gender typing when looking at popularity and also a significant interaction between sports self-efficacy and cross-gender typing when looking at self-esteem. Our data did not provide sufficient support for our buffering hypothesis, but it allowed for us to conclude that self-esteem of low-cross-gender-typed children profit more from high sports self-efficacy and suffer more from low sports self-efficacy than the self-esteem of high-cross-gender-typed children. / by Arian Frias. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Evidence in humans suggests that men are especially competitive with other men over resources and, if successful, are valued as attractive mating prospects by women. Previous studies also show that men experience an increase in testosterone following a win and a decrease in testosterone following a loss. If an increase in testosterone following a victory is an evolved physiological response aimed at readying a man for an increase in mating opportunities, then experimentally manipulating competitive outcomes should differentially affect men’s sex-drive. One-hundred thirteen men were randomly assigned to experience a win, a loss, or no competitive feedback. Participants’ sex-drive was gauged by their responses to photographs of women of differential attractiveness. Results showed that only single men exhibited a higher sex-drive in the winning condition, followed by the control and losing conditions, respectively. Limitations and practical applications to decreasing instances of rape and sexual coercion are discussed. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Orientador: Afonso Antonio Machado / Banca: Fernanda Moreto Impolcetto / Banca: Gustavo Lima Isler / Banca: Ivan Wallan Tertuliano / Banca: Andre Luis Aroni / Resumo: O comportamento motor do atleta habilidoso apresenta aspectos emocionais que devem ser levados em conta durante sua preparação. Assim qualquer tentativa de compreender atletas habilidosos na natação deve-se considerar seus estados emocionais antes das principais provas como características complementares. Sendo assim, o objetivo do presente estudo foi identificar as emoções (afetos positivos e afetos negativos) de nadadores de elite antes da sua principal prova (competição), buscando associações ao desempenho esportivo. Participaram 33 atletas, todos voluntários, do sexo masculino e feminino, com média de idade entre 22,27 (4,88). Todos com índice para disputar campeonatos nacionais e campeonatos Internacionais. A tarefa solicitada foi a de responder o questionário PANAS - X. A análise dos resultados foi conduzida via análise descritiva e análise inferencial, tanto entre grupos quanto intragrupo. Os resultados foram testados quanto ao pressuposto de normalidade pelo teste de Shapiro-Wilk e para verificar diferenças entre os grupos foi empregado o teste t de Welch. Os resultados apresentaram que os atletas tiveram índices muito próximos uns aos outros quando comparado homens e mulheres e apresentaram diferenças significantes entre os grupos em poucas variáveis. Além disso, os resultados foram explicados por meio de médias gerais e descrevendo o que acontecia entre homens e mulheres durante todas as 2 grandes dimensões estudadas. Pode-se concluir que na variável "Serenidade" ho... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The motor behavior of the skilled athlete presents emotional aspects that must be taken into account during their preparation. Thus any attempt to understand skilled athletes in swimming should be considered their emotional states before the main tests as complementary features. Thus, the objective of the present study was to identify the emotions (positive affects and negative affects) of elite swimmers before their main competition, seeking associations to the sport performance. Thirty - three athletes, all male and female volunteers, with a mean age of 22.27 (4.88) participated. All with index to compete national championships and International championships. The task requested was to answer the PANAS - X questionnaire. The analysis of the results was conducted through descriptive analysis and inferential analysis, both between groups and intragroup. The results were tested for the normality assumption by the Shapiro - Wilk test and to verify differences between the groups the Welcht - test was used. The results showed that the athletes had indices very close to each other when compared to men and women and presented significant differences between the groups in a few variables. In addition, the results were explained by means of general averages and describing what happened between men and women during all 2 large dimensions studied. It can be concluded that in the variable " Serenity " there was significant difference between men and women and when analyzed emotions vers... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Kwok Yee-shan, Meaco. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 71-81). / Abstract and questionnaire in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgments --- p.i / Abstract --- p.ii / Table of Contents --- p.v / List of Tables --- p.x / Chapter CHAPTER ONE --- Introduction --- p.1 / Statement of the Problem --- p.1 / Purposes of the Study --- p.4 / Operational Definitions --- p.5 / Assumptions --- p.6 / Limitations --- p.7 / Delimitations --- p.7 / Significance of the Study --- p.7 / Chapter CHAPTER TWO --- Review of Literature --- p.9 / Imagery --- p.9 / Confidence --- p.18 / Anxiety --- p.23 / "Relationship among Imagery, Confidence and Anxiety" --- p.27 / Summary of Review --- p.33 / Chapter CHAPTER THREE --- Methodology --- p.35 / Participants --- p.35 / Design --- p.35 / Procedure --- p.36 / Pilot test --- p.36 / Orientation --- p.37 / Pre-test --- p.38 / Treatment conditions --- p.38 / Post-test --- p.42 / Procedural Reliability and Manipulation Checks --- p.43 / The Outcome Expectancy --- p.43 / The Consumer Satisfaction --- p.43 / The Treatment Integrity --- p.43 / Measure --- p.44 / The Modified Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 --- p.44 / The French Short Serve Test --- p.45 / The Poole Long Serve Test --- p.46 / Data Analysis --- p.46 / Chapter CHAPTER FOUR --- Results --- p.48 / The Descriptive Analysis --- p.48 / Major Findings --- p.50 / "The effect of imagery on confidence, cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety and performance" --- p.50 / Significant factor(s) in predicting performance --- p.51 / The Post-experimental Assessment --- p.52 / The Outcome Expectancy --- p.52 / The Consumer Satisfaction --- p.53 / Summary of the Findings --- p.54 / Chapter CHAPTER FIVE --- Discussion --- p.55 / "The Influence of Imagery on Confidence, Cognitive Anxiety, Somatic Anxiety and Performance" --- p.55 / The effect of imagery on confidence --- p.56 / The effect of imagery on cognitive anxiety --- p.56 / The effect of imagery on performance --- p.57 / The effect of imagery on somatic anxiety --- p.58 / Nature of the task --- p.59 / The temporary design --- p.59 / Methodological factors --- p.60 / The duration of imagery training --- p.60 / The order of imagery presentation against physical practice --- p.61 / The imagery intervention script --- p.62 / Significant Factor(s) in Predicting Performance --- p.63 / Nature of the task --- p.64 / The importance of the competition --- p.64 / The psychological skills employed --- p.65 / The Post-experimental Assessment --- p.66 / The outcome expectancy --- p.66 / The effectiveness of the imagery intervention --- p.67 / Conclusion --- p.67 / Recommendations for Future Research --- p.68 / Bibliography --- p.71 / Appendix --- p.82 / Appendix A: Informed Consent --- p.82 / Appendix B: Competitive State Anxiety Inventory - 2 Directions --- p.83 / Appendix C: Outcome Expectancy --- p.87 / Appendix D: Consumer Satisfaction --- p.88 / Appendix E: Treatment Integrity --- p.89

Typescript (photocopy) / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

The performances of athlete pairs correspond to the agency observed in self, relational, and collective efficacy beliefs. A dyadic perspective offers potentially important conceptual and methodological advantages to the investigation of interdependent action. The general purpose of this thesis was to investigate how athletes influence one another in athlete pairs of different (i.e., distinguishable) roles with a specific focus on the efficacy-performance relationship. Chapters 1 and 2 provide the general introduction and review of literature on dyads and efficacy beliefs. Chapters 3-6 include original research. In Chapter 3 relationships among the individual- and dyad-level performances of cheerleading pairs competing at a national-level competition were assessed to provide a measurement tool for dyadic performance settings in which athletes have distinguishable roles. In Chapter 4 person-related sources of variance (in line with the Social Relations Model framework) in athletes’ efficacy beliefs and performances were examined during repeated performance trials of a paired-cheerleading stunt-task with distinguishable roles. The purpose of Chapter 5 was to examine the efficacy-performance predictive chain of an athletic dyad task to extend Feltz’ (1982) efficacy-performance path analysis in an individual sporting context in conjunction with the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model appropriate for dyads with distinguishable roles. The purpose of Chapter 6 was to conduct a replication of the Social Relations Model investigation in Chapter 4 using same-gender distinguishable dyads and extending the framework to four-person cheerleading groups. The final chapter is a summary of the findings with commentary on the findings’ implications, strengths and limitations of the studies, identification of future research directions, and significance of the findings. Overall, the findings in this thesis support that task structure, dyadic relations, and athlete role in a team-task influence how athletes perceive and are perceived relative to self, relational, and collective abilities, with some effects including implications for efficacy-performance predictive relationships.

This thesis focussed on examining the talent transfer experiences as lived by the athletes whom went through transitions. The purpose was to examine why athletes chose to continue in their pursuit of international competition by switching sports as well as understanding how they managed the process and their own unique experiences. Talent transfer is a process occurring when an athlete ceases or reduces their involvement in a sport in which they have invested significant time and concentrates their efforts in a sport that is new to them but involving similar skills. The process comprises of athletes who might be able to perform if fast tracked into other sports with sporting organisations seeing the benefits of this alternative talent identification (TID) system with specific examples of success. The first study (chapter 3) examined the athletes' experiences through the transition of talent transfer. Ten athletes were interviewed: five from a supported talent transfer programme (UK Sport/National Governing Body: NGB); and five that went through the process of their own accord (informally). The purpose of the second study (chapter 4) was to examine the subjective experiences and one athlete's meaning of the talent transfer process, who moved from judo to cycling and internationally medalled in both. A life history was chosen as the methodology in which to convey the information gathered through the process. The purpose of the third study (chapter 5) was to explore 10 purposeful athletes' experiences of the talent transfer process to understand their unique experiences within a supported NGB programme through unstructured interviews. The results from all three studies are discussed and culminate in a model of the talent transfer process (chapter 6) with limitations and future research directions also discussed. In conclusion, the findings offer a unique examination into athletes' experiences through the Talent Transfer Lifecycle Model.

Orientador: Afonso Antonio Machado / Banca: Ivan Wallan Tertuliano / Banca: Priscila Carneiro Valim Rogatto / Banca: Gustavo Lima Isler / Banca: André Luis Aroni / Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar os níveis de ansiedade pré-competitiva de atletas universitários sob a ótica da Teoria Bioecológica. Participaram 41 atletas universitários de ambos os sexos, praticantes de Handebol, Futsal ou Voleibol. A média de idade foi 22,10 anos. Foram utilizados o questionário de caracterização da amostra e o CSAI-2R. Nas análises entre grupos os atletas de Voleibol apresentam baixa autoconfiança e alta ansiedade comparado aos outros. Os atletas de Futsal apresentam autoconfiança superior aos demais. Intragrupo, os atletas de Futsal também apresentam valores elevados de autoconfiança e no Voleibol apresentam valores superiores de ansiedade e no Handebol apresentam baixa ansiedade somática. Em relação ao sexo os homens apresentam maior autoconfiança e as mulheres maior ansiedade somática. Explicando os valores de ansiedade em relação aos fatores da Teoria Bioecológica, os atletas conseguiram se desenvolver durante o processo do campeonato e mesmo sofrendo influências conseguiram criar situações que promovam o seu desenvolvimento na competição. Conclui-se que não há como pensar o indivíduo isoladamente de suas interações com as pessoas e o ambiente como um todo, o indivíduo deve ser analisado em todos os aspectos de acordo com a teoria Bioecológica pensar o indivíduo no processo, nas pessoas que o mesmo sofre e exerce influência, o contexto que este está inserido ou não e o tempo/período do seu desenvolvimento / Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the levels of pre - competitive anxiety of university athletes from the perspective of Bioecological Theory. 41 university athletes of both sexes participated, practicing Handball, Futsal or Volleyball. The mean age was 22.10 years. The sample characterization questionnaire and the CSAI - 2R were used. In the between analyzes groups the athletes of Volleyball pres ent low self - confidence and high anxiety compared to the other athletes. Futsal athletes are more confident than others. Intragroup, Futsal athletes also have high values of self - confidence and in Volleyball they present higher values of anxiety and in Handball they present low somatic anxiety. In relation to sex, men have greater self - confidence and women have greater somatic anxiety. Associating the Bioecological Theory, the athletes managed to develop during the process of the championship and even s uffering influences managed to create situations that promote their development in the competition. It is concluded that there is no way to think of the individual isolated from his interactions with people and the environment as a whole, the individual sh ould be analyzed in all aspects according to the Bioecological theory to think the individual in the process, in the people that the same suffers and exerts influence, the context that it is inserted or not and the t ime / period of its development / Doutor

[Truncated abstract] Resilience is a concept that originated from behavioural science; a branch of research aimed at explaining unexpected benign or malignant outcomes associated with human development. It is a psychological construct that encompasses both cognitive and behavioural responses to negative situations and appears to exist at both an individual and group level. As a concept, resilience receives considerable attention from researchers within developmental psychology fields, who primarily identify numerous risk and protective factors. Within sport, however, researchers have demonstrated a preference for the examination of more traditional concepts, such as coping strategies. Moreover, few investigations in either domain employ a cogent theoretical framework to guide the research. Therefore, the present research program utilises Personal Construct Psychology (PCP; Kelly, 1955) principles to direct the proposed research. PCP is a theory about theories that emphasised our underlying ambition to make sense of the world, the events people encounter and themselves. According to Kelly, PCP is guided by the fundamental postulate and 11 corollaries. The PCP research template employed by the current research program promotes the utilisation of multimethod designs (i.e., qualitative and quantitative investigations) in order to understand and facilitate the development of resilience in swimming. Three research investigations are proposed to examine resilience in swimming, and are structured according to PCP. Each investigation is outlined below. Study 1. An interview protocol based upon key elements of Kelly s (1955) psychotherapy retrospective interview protocol was employed to elicit an understanding of resilience in swimming. Fourteen interviews were scheduled with elite Australian swimmers and swimming coaches, utilising the interview schedule. ... Study 3. The aim of this study was to design, implement and evaluate a resilience intervention for youth swimmers. Utilising the data generated from the first study, a resilience enhancement program was designed and delivered to 16 developmental swimmers over a period of three months. Resilience was measured pre, during and post intervention, and three months after the intervention. Resilience was also measured on an age and ability matched control group (n = 20), at the same time points. Results revealed improvements in resilience for the experimental group following the completion of the resilience program. In summary, the present research program employed a PCP (Kelly, 1955) research template to guide the aforementioned studies of resilience. The data collected from the research investigations contributed considerable knowledge to the resilience concept, and the sport psychology field. The qualitative study was the first of its kind to examine the concept in swimming, revealing several elements and process pertaining to resilience that later formed the foundations for the resilience intervention. General conclusions propose that future research combine psychological measurement of resilience and more traditional sport psychology concepts, in addition to the development of a sport specific psychometric measure of resilience.