The Importance of Sport and Exercise Psychology

Sport and exercise psychology is a mandatory aspect of the sport science discipline. This discipline contributes to the various professional practices associated with physical activities such as - teaching of physical education, recreation and health promotion, and kinesiology related professions - because it plays a mental role for the participants. Sport and exercise psychologists view physical activity in several different ways: physical activity as a tool for health, physical activity as a tool for human potential, and physical activity as a tool for social change. This aspect of psychology may be the most important aspect of physical activity, because of the contributions of exercise and sport psychology to health, human potential, and social change.

Psychology is useful within physical activity as it can be used to promote and influence one’s perspective on the benefits of health. This branch of study has become a gateway into many different careers in physical activity such as a fitness consultant, physiotherapist, and education. Psychology is used within the education system to help encourage all students, despite their physical ability, to participate in a healthy and active life style. In a recreation setting, psychology is used in advertisements to persuade people to want to become more physically active. The career of a fitness consultant uses the benefits to psychology to help their clients achieve their intended goals. Some useful strategies to help a client achieve their goals may include, goal setting, an enthusiastic instructor, or a variation in programs. In a study done on breast cancer patients, it was found that women who survived the battle showed more determination to continue a physically active lifestyl...

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... can have an impact on how the general population views exercising, possibly getting more people to become physically active. People participate in sport for many different reasons. For example, they may participate for recreational purposes or competitive purposes. In youth sports, there is a certain level of competitiveness that can be rather beneficial for the child. This is due to the child being able to get out and meet more people. Even as people get older there are still many opportunities to participate in a sport, but there is commonly more of a social aspect involved. Psychologists can look at how the competitive nature of youth sport affects the lives of those who participate in them, which can then effect how the general population looks at youth sport. Sport psychologists are having an ever increasing role in learning why athletes perform the way they do.