Psychology Research Paper Caden Arnold 4/28/2014 Psychology 1010

Psychology has a big impact on what we do in our everyday lives. It can explain why we say, eat, think, and act the way we do. Psychology can also explain the behaviors of athletes, which can be a hot bed of psychological activity. There are so many physical, mental, and emotional situations happening in a single sporting event, allowing there to be many factors that can either make or an athletes performance. With myself being a soccer player and a runner, I am no stranger when it comes to knowing how big of a role psychology can play on an athlete. The biggest thing that is taught in sports is to perform with a positive attitude in order to play well. If an individual player gets imbued with the notion that he can always beat a certain other player, the idea will go a long way towards helping him do it. It is the same thing with teams, a right frame of mind is essential (Clark, 1930). For example; in soccer, if you walk on to the field with a negative attitude, you well have a very down-graded performance as opposed to if you were to think positively. Attitudes and beliefs an athlete holds can have important effects on outcome variables such as athletic performance (Jones, Neuman, Altman, and Dreschler, 2001). Having the right mind frame is especially important when playing team sports, if one or more players has a bad attitude towards the opposing team, the match, or a certain player, it can have a bad impact on the team itself. But on the other side, having a good, positive attitude can help a teams chemistry and produce great results. A lot of people join sports teams for a couple of reasons like for competitive nature or to get involved in an activity. But a big reason why we participate in sports is it reduces stress levels. Going for a run or shooting on goal can be a big help to relieve stress. This is because exercise can increase the bodys production of serotonin. This is why exercise is one of the more effective ways to get rid of stress, because serotonin boosts mood as it is released during physical

activity (Schacter, Gilbert, and Wegner, 2011). If not careful, sports can also increase stress. This happens when taking on multiple sports at the same time or allowing competitiveness to overshadow your enjoyment of the sport. Another chemical that is released during physical activity is endorphins. These chemicals can act within the pain pathways and emotion centers of the brain to help dull the experience of pain and elevate moods (Schacter, et al, 2011). Endorphins can also cause a sensation called Runners High as athletes push their bodies through physical extremes (Schacter, et al, 2011). Although in pain, Runners High is kind of like a second kick that helps you get through your event without stopping. Although Runners High may be a great feeling and can allow you to keep going, it can also have a negative effect. Because endorphins suppress pain, it allows athletes to push themselves to where things such as dehydration, confusion, or even unconsciousness (passing out) can occur (Dale, Fleetwood, Weddell, Ellis, and Stainbury, 1987). When athletes experience this, it is possible that they can have these things happen without first experiencing intolerable discomfort (Dale, et al, 1987). Now athletics are not just about chemicals in the brain, you also rely on several other attributes to help you carry out your accomplishments during an event. Vision is a big category that is used a lot during a sporting event. In ball sports like football, basketball, and soccer, depth perception is a key component when it comes to having to carry out the task of catching the ball out of the air. Things like monocular depth cues help us in judging distance, in soccer this is important especially when you are receiving a goal kick for example. Depth cues can help you judge were the ball will land for you to trap it, instead of letting it go over your head (Schacter, et al, 2011). If we didnt have depth perception, it would be pretty difficult to carry out a lot of task, especially in sports.

Vision can also have an effect on out balance, if you see that you are swaying relative to a vertical orientation you move your legs and feet to keep from falling over (Schacter, et al, 2011). Without balance, every time a player would kick a ball or get challenged by an opponent, they would probably fall over each time. Our balance is maintained and depends on the vestibular system. The fluid in the system moves as we move and accelerate (Schacter, et al, 2011). Balance is very important to an athlete, it helps stay in control in tough conditions and allows us to perform swift movements without much struggle. Psychology is very much related to sports, from physical things to neurological functions in the brain. These characteristics are used by each and every human being each day so we can live our lives without complication, and can push ourselves to the limit when these characteristics are being used for physical activity. If it werent for psychology, we may not have a very clear understanding why physical activity and exercise are used to help us become happier and relieve ourselves from the stresses of everyday life.

Works cited Clark, J. (1930). Sport Psychology. Iowa: University of Northern Iowa. Jones, Neuman, Altmann, and Dreschler. (2001). Development of the Sport Performance Inventory. Springer. Vol 15, 491-503. Schacter, D.L, Gilbert, And Wegner, D,M. (2011). Introducing Psychology. New York: Worth Publishers. Veale, D. (1987). Beta Endorphin: A Factor in Fun Run Collapse. BMJ. Vol. 294, 1415-1416.