Sports performance is always linked to athlete’s physical abilities. Hence, athletes who are physically gifted are likely to perform better than those who lack physical abilities. Nevertheless, sports performance is not only influenced by physical abilities but also the mental framework that enable them to thrive despite facing some challenges. Psychological variables such as team orientation, anxiety, and self-efficacy help substantially influence athletes performance. Anxiety can have both positive and negative influence on the performance of athletes. Anxiety is one of the main factors that affect performance of people participating in various sports.
Therefore, the research question for this paper is: What are the effects of psychology and anxiety on the performance of athletes? The paper aims at finding how psychological traits and anxiety influence performance of athletes who participate in different types of sports.
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Evaluation of the Research Literature
The first literature to be evaluated is titled "Impact of Identity on Anxiety in Athletes" by Masten, Tušak, and Faganel. The main reason why the study was conducted was to determine the relationship between athlete identity and trait and state of anxiety in athletes participating in various sports. The research was valid and credible. This is because the researchers used sufficient representative sample, which comprised of 410 athletes who represented various categories. At the same time, the researchers used reputable and effective measurement scales such as the Athlete Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) and State Anxiety Questionnaire ( Masten, Tušak & Faganel, 2006) . The measurement scales helped in getting accurate findings. In addition, researchers adhered to ethical requirements such informed consent and ensuring that participants voluntarily participated in the study. Besides, they disclosed relevant research information to the participants. The researchers mainly assumed that an increase of athletic identity results into reduced levels of both state and trait identity.
The study found that there was a similar relationship between athletic identity and trait and state types of anxieties. The research also revealed that the high impact of state and trait anxiety led to negative affectivity in sports identity and categorization. Athletes with high negative affectivity were associated with high level of trait and state anxiety. In addition, the study found that male athletes have lower state and trait anxiety compared to their female counterparts.
The second literature is titled “A Better Understanding of Stress and Anxiety in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Conditions through Sport and Exercise Models” by Roncaglia. The motive of this research was to provide in-depth understanding of coping mechanisms and styles used by people on the Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) ( Roncaglia, 2014) . At the same time, the research was conducted to determine how various sources of stress and anxiety influence the adoption of different coping styles. The motive had no effect on the credibility or findings of the research. The research is reliable because it mainly retrieved its data and information from scholarly psychology literature. It is also credible because the researcher relied on findings and information from different reliable sources. Besides, the researcher adhered to the ethical issues regarding plagiarism and recognition of authors of various sources. He used proper citation, quotation, and references. Even though the research has no clear assumption because it was based on literature review, the researcher tried to address the objective of the study. The researcher has personal biases in selecting the sources that he used to gather information.
The research found that better understanding of coping mechanism and styles with regard to stress management is important in supporting people with ASC, especially where skills and resources are scarce ( Roncaglia, 2014) . Cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) approaches can be beneficial to high-functional persons ASC, as they lead to reduction of anxiety and stress.
The third literature is titled “Toward a Psychophysiology of Performance: Sport Psychology Principles Dealing with Anxiety” by Davis and Wesley. The motive of the research was to demonstrate the benefits of integrating electroencephalogram (EEG) biofeedback into various interventions that are intended to maximize the psychological skills, especially alertness and concentration ( Davis & Wesley, 2005) . The motive of the research has no significant effect on credibility and findings. The research is reliable because it is mainly based on the data and information from applied case study of 21 participants who comprised of baseball players with a lot of experience in the game. It is also credible because the researcher used standard measurements and procedures in the data collection and analysis. The main assumption of the research was that EEG would enhance psychological skills such as alertness and concentration. The main researcher bias, in this case, is the selection of participants. The researchers did not select athletes from various sports categories, as they restricted themselves to baseball players. In addition, informed consent and disclosure of research information were the potential ethical issues in this research. However, the researchers used written informed consent and they informed participants on the aim of the study. The researchers found that EEG biofeedback enhances psychological skills among baseball players.
Comparison of the Research Studies
The research studies used different methods. The first study used survey while the second one used qualitative research method in the form of systematic literature review. The third study, on the other hand, used case studies to gather data from the participants. At the same time, research studies have different conclusions because they were based on different topics. There were no substantial flaws that were identified in the research studies evaluated.
How the Research Answer the Question Developed
The question developed is to determine the effects of psychology and anxiety on the performance of athletes. The literature review has tried to address the questions by explaining how psychological skills and anxiety influence athlete performance. For instance, the literature by Masten, Tušak, and Faganel demonstrated how high trait and state anxiety lead to better performance among athletes. It shows that both types of anxiety can lead to improved performance among athletes. At the same time, the research by Davis and Wesley helped in addressing the developed questions, as it proved that psychological skills like alertness and concentration can enhance performance of various athletes participating in various sports. Therefore, the research tried to address the developed question.
Application of the Research to Professional Psychology Practice
First, the research can be applied to psychological practice by using some of the therapy techniques that have been discussed. For instance, I can apply the CBTs and MBSR to assists high functional individual suffering from ASC. CBTs and MBSR can be used to assist people with excessive anxiety and depression. The research can also be applied when it comes to the use of technology in psychology. It can help in providing information on how technologies like EEG biofeedback can be used to address psychological challenges or issues affecting different people. Hence, the research is applicable to psychological practice.
Importance of the Research in My Areas of Psychology
The research is important in my area of psychological because it provides useful information on how psychologist can use different types of therapies like CBT to assist people with psychological challenges like ASC. At the same time, it is important because it helps in understanding how psychological issues like anxiety and depression affect various people. Understanding how psychological issues affect individuals is the core of psychology, as it helps in addressing psychological challenges.
Conclusion
The research shows that the performance of athletes does not only rely on their physical ability but also their mental and psychological status. Anxiety and psychological skills play significant roles in the performance of athletes. Therefore, there is need to understand how anxiety and psychology influence performance of people participating in various sporting activities rather than only focusing on physical abilities.
References
Davis, P. A., & Wesley, E. (2005). Toward a psychophysiology of performance: Sport psychology principles dealing with anxiety. International Journal of Stress Management , 12 (4), 363.
Masten¹, R., Tušak, M., & Faganel, M. (2006). Impact of identity on anxiety in athletes. Kinesiology , 38 (2), 126-134.
Roncaglia, I. (2014). Coping styles: A better understanding of stress and anxiety in individuals with autism spectrum conditions through sport and exercise models. Psychological Thought , 7 (2), 134-143.
