Psychology and Sports Notes in English Class 11 Physical Education Chapter-9 Book-1

 

Definition and importance of psychology in physical education and sports

Definitions of Psychology

• According to Crow and Coe, "Psychology is the study of human behaviour and human relations."

• According to J.B. Watson, "Psychology is the science of behaviour."

Definition of Sport Psychology

Sports psychology is the branch of psychology that studies the behavior of an athlete before, during, and after competition.

Importance of psychology in physical education and sports

Performance improvements:

• Sports psychology helps athletes or sportsmen to increase their confidence and perform at their best.

• It improves their performance and personality by improving their behavior through scientific methods.

Motivation and Feedback:

• Proper motivation and feedback helps in enhancing the performance of players.

• It gives players advice on how they can improve their performance.

• This is done under the guidance of sports psychology.

Helps in selecting good players:

• Sports psychology helps coaches to select good players.

• This helps them understand the behaviour of players and improve their training.

Developmental characteristics at different stages of growth

Infancy / Infancy :

• From birth to 5 years.

• Physical growth: Physical growth occurs rapidly in size and weight.

• Intellectual development: During infancy, the child is interested only in those things that satisfy his immediate need for hunger and food.

• At the age of 2 to 3 years, he learns by speaking small sentences. At the age of 5 years, he starts thinking and takes keen interest in playing.

Early Childhood :

• It begins at the age of 6 and ends at the age of 9.

• Physical development: The physical features of boys and girls mature.

• Intellectual development: In this stage, the mental level also develops and the child starts observing things closely and the ability to discuss increases.

• Emotional development: Emotions become increasingly difficult to control.

• Social development: The adolescent becomes more interested in the world around him. 

Adult stage:

• It begins at the age of 9 and lasts until age 12.

• Physical development: In this stage the muscles mature and their strength improves.

• Intellectual development: The brain becomes fully mature.

• Emotional development: There is a great deal of control over emotions at this stage.

• Social development: Adults become functional members of society.

problems of adolescents and their solutions

problems in adolescence

• physical problems

• Increased self-awareness

• Sexual problems

• Relationship with friends 

• Negligence in adolescence 

• Problems in choosing a career

• Dependence-Self-Reliance

• Idealism vs. Realism

• drug abuse

• emotional problems

Solutions to problems of adolescents

Empathy and independence:

• Instead of getting worried due to the changing behaviour of teenagers, parents should treat them with empathy and freedom. This behaviour helps in reducing the stress caused by physical changes.

Healthy environment at home and school:

• If the environment at home and school is not healthy, then adolescents can deviate from their goals and fall prey to bad habits like gambling, drug abuse, etc. It is necessary to ensure a positive environment at these places for the physical and mental development of adolescents.

Moral and religious education:

• Moral and religious education should be given to teenagers at home by parents and elders of the family. This can solve their behavioral problems.

Friendly behavior:

• When the child reaches adolescence, the mother and teachers should maintain a friendly behavior with him, so that he can express his problems freely.

Sufficient freedom:

• Teenagers should be given enough freedom to express their feelings and suggestions. They should have the freedom to choose their friends and hang out with them. However, parents should have complete information about their children's friends.

Team Cohesion and Sports

Meaning of Team Cohesion 

• According to Albert Caron, "a dynamic process that is reflected in the tendency of a group to 'stick together' and remain united in the pursuit of goals and objectives."

• Group cohesion can be defined as the unity in which a group of individuals work together to achieve a certain goal.

Types of team cohesion 

• Work Cohesion 

• Social cohesion 

Work Coordination –

• Task cohesion occurs when members of a team work in unison to achieve a specific and identifiable goal.

• Example – Employees of a particular department.

Social cohesion –

• In every situation the members of a team mutually like each other and enjoy personal satisfaction from being members of the team.

• Example – friendship.

Factors Affecting Group Cohesion

• Interdependence on the group: The greater the interdependence of people in the group, the greater will be the cohesion.

• Size of the group: If the size of the group is small, cohesion will be high. (Small groups have high cohesion)

• Homogeneity of membership: If people in a group have similar backgrounds and interests, group solidarity will be greater.

• Stable membership: Stability must be maintained in the group for greater cohesion.

• Group location: The group location should be friendly and accessible.

• Group situation: Success stories always lead to higher cohesion.

• Leadership: If the leader of the group is dynamic then harmony will automatically be good. 

Introduction to psychological traits: attention, flexibility, mental toughness

Attention/Meditation 

It is the process through which one stimulus (information) is selected from a group of stimuli (information).

Types of attention

1. Voluntary attention

• In this type of meditation, the person's desire or need is given priority.

• Example: Striking of the ball by a batsman in cricket.

2. Involuntary attention :

• In involuntary attention, the focus is not on volition, but on the object's features, such as bright light, sound, or color.

• Examples: loud noises, bright lights/colours.

resilience

• Resilience – “The ability to adapt to changing circumstances and bounce back from negative emotional experiences is called resilience.”

• According to Stuart – Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity.

Resilience in Positive Psychology

Refers to the ability to face any adversity in life. Some people get broken by challenges, but they return as a more determined person than before.

Mental Toughness 

• Mental toughness – This is a personality trait that demonstrates the ability to perform well under stress and pressure. It relates to qualities such as character, resilience, patience, and perseverance.

• Mental toughness - is the ability to cope with adversity, failures and negative events with persistent effort, attitude (behaviour) and enthusiasm.

• Mental Toughness – Refers to an athlete's ability to persevere in the face of challenges, mistakes, and failure.

• Mental toughness – a combination of resilience, determination, and optimism that encourages a person to remain focused and motivated in the face of adversity.