Journal of Applied Sport Psychology 

About: Journal of Applied Sport Psychology is an academic journal published by Taylor & Francis. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Sport psychology & Athletes. It has an ISSN identifier of 1041-3200. Over the lifetime, 950 publications have been published receiving 54246 citations.

Psychological characteristics and their development in Olympic champions.

Abstract: This study was designed to examine psychological characteristics and their development in Olympic champions. Ten U.S. Olympic champions (winners of 32 Olympic medals) were interviewed, as were one of their coaches ( n = 10), and a parent, guardian, or significant other ( n = 10). A battery of psychological inventories was also administered to the athletes. It was found that the athletes were characterized by: (a) the ability to cope with and control anxiety; (b) confidence; (c) mental toughness/resiliency; (d) sport intelligence; (e) the ability to focus and block out distractions; (f) competitiveness; (g) a hard-work ethic; (h) the ability to set and achieve goals; (i) coachability; (j) high levels of dispositional hope; (k) optimism; and (l) adaptive perfectionism. Results also revealed that a number of individuals and institutions influenced the athletes' psychological development including the community, family, the individual himself or herself, non-sport personnel, sport environment personnel, and t...

Autonomy support and need satisfaction in the motivation and well-being of gymnasts.

Abstract: This study examined the effects of young athletes’ perceptions of support from coaches and parents on their need satisfaction, motivation, and well-being. Using the framework of selfdetermination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000b), a 4-week diary study of 33 female gymnasts from the northeastern U.S. was conducted that examined (a) the relations of perceived parent and coach supports to the athlete’s enduring and daily motivation and need satisfaction and (b) how daily motivation and psychological need satisfaction during practice affects athletes’ well-being. Results obtained using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) revealed that, as predicted, daily motivation predicted pre-practice well-being, and that changes in well-being from pre- to post-practice varied systematically with the need satisfaction experienced during practice. Discussion highlights the importance of adult supports for adolescent sport participants to ensure need satisfaction, and the advantages of diary methodologies in sport research.

An integrative analysis of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in sport.

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to propose a motivational sequence that integrates much of the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation literature in sport The proposed motivational sequence: “Social Factors → Psychological Mediators → Types of Motivation → Consequences” is in line with self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan 1985 1991) and the Hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (Vallerand, 1997) Using the sequence, it is first shown that the motivational impact of social factors inherent in sport, such as competition/cooperation, success/failure, and coaches' behaviors toward athletes, takes place through their influence on athletes' perceptions of autonomy, competence, and relatedness (ie, the psychological mediators) Second, recent results are provided with respect to a new multidimensional measure (ie, the Sport Motivation Scale; Pelletier et al, 1995) to assess the different types of athletes' motives Third, we review findings that suggest that such sport motives lead

What Is This Thing Called Mental Toughness? An Investigation of Elite Sport Performers

Abstract: The literature on mental toughness is characterized by a general lack of conceptual clarity and consensus as to its definition, as well as a general failure to operationalize the construct in a con...

Gender differences in sport involvement: Applying the eccles' expectancy-value model

Abstract: With the growth of the field of sport psychology has come a growing interest and concern over gender differences in achievement and participation in various sports. Why do girls and boys differ from one another in their participation rates and participation patterns in sports? Over the past 10 years, Eccles and her colleagues have put together a theoretical model for analyzing the motivational factors underlying individuals' decisions regarding achievement-related choices. This paper describes this theoretical model and uses data from two studies, one focusing on adolescents, and one focusing on elementary school-aged children, to evaluate the utility of this model for understanding gender differences in sport participation. It reaches the following conclusions: (a) the Eccles et al. model holds for sport as well as, if not better than, it does for academic subjects; (b) gender differences in children's attitudes toward sport are quite strong and emerge at a very young age; and (c) these gender d...