Self-talk in Sport (Routledge Psychology of Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity)

Athletes are naturally exposed to significant psychological challenges in sports, but do not wait helplessly for the assistance of sports psychologists or trainers. Instead, they practise one form or another of self-regulation. __Self-talk in Sport__ explores one such self-regulatory strategy: self-talk, the inner voice that accompanies every human being throughout their lives. Over time, research has revealed many secrets of self-talk in sport, though many others remain unveiled. This book offers you the opportunity to discover the multiple identities of our self-talk, how the “inner coach” serves as a rational counterpart to the irrational self, and what we need to do to develop our inner voice to reach its maximum self-regulatory potential. There is a general need for concrete interventions in sport, exercise, and performance psychology. In addition, the autonomous functioning of people is a central aim of psychological interventions that align with positive psychology and focus on people’s strengths rather than weaknesses. In this volume, researchers and applied practitioners are shown how they can use self-talk interventions to strengthen people’s rational self-regulation in order to deal with a variety of situations that apply to both sport and other exercise and performance contexts. Since self-talk is a tangible result of cognitive processes and inner experiences that researchers and applied practitioners can barely access, __Self-talk in Sport__ is a tool for sports psychologists to understand and interact with hidden parts within athletes that have a major impact on sport and exercise experiences and performance. A book demonstrating the diverse – both rational and irrational identities – of self-talk, as well as specific interventions to change the inner dialogue of athletes, is a fundamental piece in the education of sport scientists. Athletes are naturally exposed to significant psychological challenges in sports, but do not wait helplessly for the assistance of sports psychologists or trainers. Instead, they practise one form or another of self-regulation. Self-talk in Sport explores one such self-regulatory strategy: self-talk, the inner voice that accompanies every human being throughout their lives. Over time, research has revealed many secrets of self-talk in sport, though many others remain unveiled. This book offers you the opportunity to discover the multiple identities of our self-talk, how the “inner coach” serves as a rational counterpart to the irrational self, and what we need to do to develop our inner voice to reach its maximum self-regulatory potential. There is a general need for concrete interventions in sport, exercise, and performance psychology. In addition, the autonomous functioning of people is a central aim of psychological interventions that align with positive psychology and focus on people’s strengths rather than weaknesses. In this volume, researchers and applied practitioners are shown how they can use self-talk interventions to strengthen people’s rational self-regulation in order to deal with a variety of situations that apply to both sport and other exercise and performance contexts. Since self-talk is a tangible result of cognitive processes and inner experiences that researchers and applied practitioners can barely access, Self-talk in Sport is a tool for sports psychologists to understand and interact with hidden parts within athletes that have a major impact on sport and exercise experiences and performance. A book demonstrating the diverse – both rational and irrational identities – of self-talk, as well as specific interventions to change the inner dialogue of athletes, is a fundamental piece in the education of sport scientists. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 4 Title Page 6 Copyright Page 7 Dedication 8 Table of Contents 10 List of Figures 12 List of Tables 13 List of Contributors 14 1. Locating Self-talk in the Knowledge Map of Sport and Exercise Psychology 20 Introduction 20 Self-talk: A Psychological Concept 21 Self-talk and the Knowledge Map of Sport and Exercise Psychology 22 Final Remarks 27 References 28 2. Pieces of the Self-talk Jigsaw Puzzle: An Introduction 30 Introduction 30 Defining Self-talk 31 What Self-talk Is Not 33 A Conceptual Framework for Studying Self-talk 35 Conclusions 42 References 43 3. Assessment Methods for Organic Self-talk 47 Introduction 47 Definitions and Theories of Self-talk 47 Self-talk in Sport 49 Conclusion 62 References 64 4. Metacognition and Goal-Directed Self-talk 70 Introduction: Cognition and Metacognition 70 What Is Metacognition? 71 Metacognition and Expertise in Sporting Performance 74 Metacognition-Informed Self-talk Interventions 77 References 79 5. Self-talk and Emotion Regulation 83 Introduction 83 Self-talk and Emotion Regulation 86 Conclusions 92 References 92 6. Organic Self-talk Antecedents: An Interpretative Review and Implications for Practice 96 Introduction 96 Self-talk Antecedents 97 Future Research Directions 104 Interventions Regulating Athletes’ Organic Self-talk 105 Acknowledgement 107 References 107 7. The Reflexive Self-talk Intervention: Detailed Procedures 110 Introduction 110 Setting Up a Reflexive Self-talk Intervention Session 111 Finding a Psychological Challenge to Explore 112 Exploring the Psychological Challenge 115 Selecting Psychological Skills 117 Questioning the Use of Goal-Directed Self-talk 119 Closing Comments 124 References 125 8. Rational Self-talk: A Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) Perspective 128 Introduction 128 REBT Applied to Sport 129 REBT and Self-talk 130 Case Studies 135 Conclusion 137 References 138 9. Strategic Self-talk Interventions 142 Introduction 142 Effectiveness of Strategic Self-talk 143 Research Implications for Self-talk Interventions 148 Conclusions 152 References 152 10. Self-talk Mechanisms 155 Introduction 155 Mechanisms in the Framework of the New Self-talk Conceptualisation 157 What We’ve Learned So Far 167 References 168 11. Self-talk Interventions in Tennis and Golf 173 Introduction 173 Research/Theory Regarding the Effects of Strategic Self-talk Interventions 174 Research on Strategic Self-talk in Golf and Tennis 176 Golf Intervention 177 Tennis Intervention 178 Guidelines for Self-talk Interventions with Tennis Players and Golfers 180 References 182 12. Self-talk Interventions in Team-Sport Settings 184 Introduction 184 Embedding Self-talk in Team Sport 184 Situations When Self-talk Is Beneficial for Team Sport Players 190 Summary 192 References 192 13. Self-talk and Endurance Sports 195 Introduction 195 Self-talk Research in Endurance Sports 196 Theoretical Foundations 198 Self-talk in Practice 200 Conclusion 204 References 204 14. Self-talk in Physical Education: Motivational Aspects and a Guide for Physical Education Teachers 207 Introduction 207 Self-talk Research in PE 208 Guidelines for the Use of Strategic Self-talk in PE 212 Motivational Self-talk Interventions in PE – Practical Implications 215 Conclusions 217 References 217 15. Contesting the Role of Self-talk in Sport Psychology in Views of Mindfulness, Flow, and Mind Wandering 220 Introduction 220 A Mindful Perspective on Self-talk: Daniel Birrer 221 Flow Experience and Self-talk: Patricia C. Jackman 225 Mind Wandering and Self-talk: Alexander T. Latinjak 227 Conclusions 231 Notes 232 References 232 Epilogue: Some Facts and Personal Reflections on My Self-talk 237 As a Primary School Kid ... 237 At High School ... 237 At University ... Student ... 238 ... and Staff 238 On the Future of Self-talk 239 Back at 48 ... 240 Index 241 1 Locating Self-talk in the Knowledge Map of Sport and Exercise Psychology; 2 Pieces of the Self-talk Jigsaw Puzzle; 3 Assessment Methods for Organic Self-talk; 4 Metacognition and Goal-Directed Self-talk; 5 Self-talk and Emotion Regulation; 6 Organic Self-talk Antecedents; 7 The Reflexive Self-talk Intervention; 8 Rational Self-talk; 9 Strategic Self-talk Interventions; 10 Self-talk Mechanisms; 11 Self-talk Interventions in Tennis and Golf; 12 Self-talk Interventions in Team-Sport Settings; 13 Self-talk and Endurance Sports; 14 Self-talk in Physical Education; "15 Contesting the Role of Self-talk in Sport Psychology in Views of Mindfulness,Flow,and Mind Wandering"; Epilogue 1 Locating Self-talk in the Knowledge Map of Sport and Exercise Psychology,2 Pieces of the Self-talk Jigsaw Puzzle,3 Assessment Methods for Organic Self-talk,4 Metacognition and Goal-Directed Self-talk,5 Self-talk and Emotion Regulation,6 Organic Self-talk Antecedents,7 The Reflexive Self-talk Intervention,8 Rational Self-talk,9 Strategic Self-talk Interventions,10 Self-talk Mechanisms,11 Self-talk Interventions in Tennis and Golf,12 Self-talk Interventions in Team-Sport Settings,13 Self-talk and Endurance Sports,14 Self-talk in Physical Education,15 Contesting the Role of Self-talk in Sport Psychology in Views of Mindfulness, Flow, and Mind Wandering,Epilogue "Athletes are naturally exposed to significant psychological challenges in sports, but do not wait helplessly for the assistance of sports psychologists or trainers. Instead, they practice one form or another of self-regulation. Self-talk in Sport explores one of such self-regulatory strategies: self-talk, the inner voice that accompanies every human being throughout their lives. Over time, research has revealed many secrets of self-talk in sport, though many others remain unveiled. This book offers you the opportunity to discover the multiple identities of our self-talk, how the "inner coach" serves as a rational counterpart to the irrational self, and what we need to do to develop our inner voice to reach its maximum self-regulatory potential. There is a general need for concrete interventions in sport, exercise, and performance psychology. In addition, the autonomous functioning of people is a central aim of psychological interventions that align with positive psychology and focus on people's strengths rather than weaknesses. In this volume, researchers and applied practitioners are shown how they can use self-talk interventions to strengthen people's rational self-regulation in order to deal with a variety of situations that apply to both sport and other exercise and performance contexts. Since self-talk is a tangible result of cognitive processes and inner experiences that researchers and applied practitioners can barely access, Self-talk in Sport is a tool for sports psychologists to understand and interact with hidden parts within athletes that have a major impact on sport and exercise experiences and performance. A book demonstrating the diverse, both rational and irrational identities of self-talk as well as specific interventions to change the inner dialogue of athletes is a fundamental piece in the education of sport scientists"-- Provided by publisher