Emily Woodard Professor Workman SCC English 1201 12 April 2024 The Silent Struggle: Understanding the Impact of Mental Health on Athletes Mental health's profound impact on athletes is often overlooked in the glare of their physical achievements. This essay seeks to comprehensively explore the multifaceted relationship between mental health and athletic performance. Drawing from a range of scholarly articles and research studies, the book will dissect the stressors, coping mechanisms, and psychosocial challenges that athletes encounter, highlighting the critical need for robust support systems within the athletic community. By delving into recent research findings, this paper aims to illuminate the complexities surrounding athlete mental health …show more content…
Through an exploration of recent research and scholarly articles, we endeavor to deepen our understanding of athlete mental health and advocate for proactive measures to support their holistic development. Stress and anxiety represent significant hurdles for athletes striving for peak performance. The article "Stress, Sport Anxiety, Neuroticism, and Coping in Student-Athletes: Implications for Patient Mental Health" underscores the pervasive nature of stressors such as performance expectations, competition pressure, and academic responsibilities among student-athletes. These stressors not only induce anxiety but also exacerbate neurotic tendencies, posing formidable challenges to athletes' mental well-being and performance consistency. Moreover, the relentless pursuit of excellence in the athletic arena can take a toll on athletes' mental health. The pressure to meet high expectations, coupled with the fear of failure, can lead to heightened anxiety levels and, in severe cases, manifest as performance …show more content…
Elite athletes, heralded for their exceptional talent and dedication, confront a unique set of psychosocial challenges that warrant closer examination. The article "Elite Lean Athletes at Sports High Schools Face Multiple Risks for Mental Health Concerns and Are in Need of Psychosocial Support" underscores the precarious balance that elite athletes must strike between athletic success and personal well-being. In the pursuit of perfection, elite athletes often subject themselves to stringent training regimens, dietary restrictions, and intense competition, all of which can take a toll on their mental health. Furthermore, the insular nature of elite athletic environments, such as sports high schools or specialized training facilities, can exacerbate feelings of isolation and loneliness among athletes. The relentless focus on athletic performance may overshadow athletes' social and emotional needs, leaving them vulnerable to psychological distress and
Blood pressure rising and testosterone dropping are good symptoms (that is, to someone who is a sports enthusiast); nail biting, heart pounding, and barn burning games are bread and butter to sports enthusiasts such as me. Rivalry, unity, and relaxation help me bond with other individuals who share a common interest as I do. Within the article “Are Sports Fans Happier?”, author Sid Kirchheimer gives his bias reasoning over sports and its social, health, and psychological effects on sports enthusiasts, which elaborates and aligns concisely to why I passionately enjoy lacrosse and soccer. Fundamentally speaking, sports initially bequeath an array of positive benefits besides good health and mental stability; sports allow individuals to indulge
Due to the stressful and high pressure nature of this achievement context in academies, the question of how to ensure athletes realize their sporting potential without experiencing athletic burnout has become increasingly important (Isoard-Gautheur, Guillet-Ducas & Duda, 2012). Research into this process has highlighted various factors such as perfectionism (Lemyre, Hall & Roberts, 2008; Gould, Tuffey, Udry & Loehr, 1997) and stress-coping techniques (Coakley, 1992) as being important in athletic burnout, but has also shown certain motivational factors ( ) to play an influential ...
However, what this argument does not take into account is that athletes have an abundance of pressure put on them that most non-athletes don’t ever experience. Hence, the saying, “go hard or go home”. A recent study emphasizes this fact as McClatchy notes, ”The researchers monitored mood levels of 465 collegiate athletes over three years and found 6.3 percent of the athletes met the criteria for clinically significant depression and 24 percent were considered ‘clinically relevant’ “ (2016). Studies like these prove that athletes are not blind to the idea of depression, but rather experience this disorder themselves. Anxiety has a huge role in depression. As sportsperson, there is constant effort to become an awe-inspiring player. As the stakes of the game raise, so does the anxiety. Some want a scholarship, some want to show off what they offer to a team that got a scholarship, and some are professionals. Regardless of whether it's grade school sport or a professional sport, failing at personal goals one set is down right depressing. Kearns and Hwang state that, ”While it’s not clear whether the source of challenges to a student-athlete's mental well-being is the same as those non-athletes, collegiate athletes are known to encounter unique stressor that the general population doesn’t have to deal with, such as the demands, relationships with coaches and missed scheduled classes” (2014). Pressure is something everyone experiences. However, athletes experience some of the same pressure that of non-athletes and then some. Being on a sports team is demanding to time and the idea of being “superior”. In athletics, coaches are everything. For example, If a coach likes how a person attributes as a team player, then that person will get a chance to shine. However, if the coach is not very fond of one, then the chances of opportunities are not very
All college students sitting in classrooms today face challenges that can impede their success. A challenging course schedule, competing demand for the student’s time, and college readiness are all factors that can hinder a student’s performance in the classroom. Moreover, these challenges also have the ability to impact the student’s overall student development. While most students share a common set of stressors, there are certain groups on campus that face pressures and challenges that are not shared by the majority of their peers. Student athletes are such a group. Joshua Watson (2005) noted the positive benefits of participating in intercollegiate activities, but also noted that such participation can lead to issues of “maladjustment, emotional illness, and psychological distress” (p. 442).
“All I have to do is pass: A discursive of student athletes’ talk about prioritizing sport to the detriment of education to overcome stressors encountered in combining elite sport and tertiary education.” Psychology of Sport & Exercise. Mar 2014, Vol. 15 Issue 2, p180-189. Web.
The age of overwhelming strength and stamina governing sports is over, and the age of the mentally tough athlete has arrived. Athletes are no longer the superficial jocks and robots programmed to accomplish one goal, victory. Modern athletes ranging from the high school to professional levels are faced with many pressures and temptations, normally outside the realm of their sport. These pressures can inhibit an athlete’s performance substantially; therefore, the pressures need to be dealt with by psychologists. The effectiveness of sports psychology is demonstrated through the fields many theories, applications, and variety of techniques and procedures.
Wiese-Bjornstal, D. M., Smith, A. M., & LaMott, E. E. (1995). A model of psychological response to athletic injury and rehabilitation. Athletic training: Sport health care perspectives, 17-30.
By acknowledging and openly discussing these challenges, athletes can inspire others to do the same. Oftentimes, the societal expectations placed on professional athletes to maintain a facade of invulnerability can lead to a variety of mental health issues, which are often intensified by their high-visibility status. The relentless pressure to perform can exacerbate feelings of inadequacy when they're unable to meet these standards. Athletes are frequently in the spotlight, and with that comes a ton of scrutiny that most people never
A. A Psychoanalytic Perspective on Anxiety in Athletes. April 2002. Athletics Insight: Online Journal of Sports Psychology. 29 May 2002 http://www.athleticsight.com.vol1iss2/Psychoanalytic_Anxiety.htm Stress Management: Behavioral Psychotherapy for Performance Enhancement.
Playing a sport whether its basketball, soccer, football or any other of your interest can be thrilling, and accelerating. Not only can it be fun yet physical exercise is good for the mind, body, and spirit. Therefore, as an athlete one must keep in mind that playing any sport, injury is part of life and inevitable. Research has proven from time to time that severe injuries in sports can trigger psychological mental health issues, affecting them in their athletic performance.
Sports psychology is the study of how psychology influences sports, athletic performance, exercise and physical activity. Some sports psychologists work with professional athletes and coaches to improve performance and increase motivation. Other professionals use exercise and sports to enhance people’s lives and well-being. While finding ways to help athletes is certainly an important part of sports psychology, the application of exercise and physical activity for improving the lives of non-athletes is also a major focus.
Competitive athletics can become a source of fulfillment for psychological needs. Adrenaline-fueled victories, familial bonds with teammates, public recognition, and constant praise for continuously improving one’s performance have become an individual source for social validation. Athletes who have participated in sports from a young age quickly adapt to maintaining a life that surrounds their sport, creating strong athletic identities across social, academic, and personal contexts. What happens when an athlete makes their final play and the roar of the crowd suddenly goes silent? The loss of athletic involvement causes an athlete to build a new identity, impacting one's social life, academic performance, mental well-being and self-perception.
Children who participate in sports are developing rapidly in sports skills, sportsmanship, and psychologically, but does this come from organized sports are just nature’s process. Children develop emotional and social benefits from participating in sports. Children experience character and leadership development through peer relations leading to an increase in self-esteem and a decrease in anxiety levels. Children will get opportunities to experience positive and negative emotions throughout their practice and games trials. It is important for the coach to understand the “psychology of youth sports and physical activity participation” (Weinberg & Gould, 2011 p.516).
Firstly, it is vital to note that anxiety, motivation, and concentration tremendously influence people's self-confidence and their performance at the long-run (Damon & Raedeke, P 188). Higher self-confidence reduces anxiety. The vice versa is also true. This is based on the fact that optimally confident sports people experience fewer doubts on self. Their worries reduce and give room for concentration in their activities. Additionally, motivated athletes are in a better position to strive towards achieving their goal. Motivation enables sports people to combat negativity and low self-esteem as they focus more on their goals other than obstacles. Therefore, it is fundamental to note that coaches and sports people must collaborate in finding any mechanisms that could stimulate and uphold self-esteem since it is, directly and indirectly, impactful to their
Sports psychology, although obscure, has become a burgeoned interdisciplinary profession where specialists “use psychological knowledge and skills to address optimal performance and well-being of athletes, developmental and social aspects of sports participation, and systemic issues associated with sports settings and organizations.” (APA) And with sports being a popular theme in many cultures, there are many athletes that need mental stabilization to perform optimally. Luckily, I have already organized a tentative plan to keep me one step ahead. I plan to enroll at UTSA’s Psychology Graduate Program to obtain my master’s degree in both applied research and counseling.