HHP210 - Sport Psychology

Introduction

My Scenario involves self-talk. I have a player on my softball team who is constantly
criticizing herself every time she makes an error or is not perfect. Self-talk is a cognitive
method athletes use to influence their ideas, attitudes, and actions via positive reinforcement.
It may be shown by using a phrase, a thought, a grin, or a scowl. In truth, whenever you think
of anything in your mind, you are, in a sense conversing with yourself (Bayköse et al., 2018).
It is largely addressed at you rather than at others, and it is a negative statement. It may be
spoken aloud or repeated quietly, depending on your preference. One of the most often
encountered ideas is that positive self-talk is useful in sporting activities when it comes to
self-talk research. The premise of this hypothesis is that positive self-talk is associated with
cognitive, inspirational, behavioral, and successful strategies. It has been indicated that
positive self-talk is useful in various contexts but that it may not always provide good
outcomes for all people. It is possible to categorize self-talk into three categories: pragmatic,
obstructive, and instructive. Affective self-talk (also known as negative self-talk) causes
worry, panic, and uncertainty; pragmatic self-talk (also known as positive self-talk) helps
people get a better perspective, attention, vigor, and effort. Sports psychologists recommend
that athletes refer to themselves in the third person instead of the first person.

Teaching the Value of Positive Self-Talk

Positive self-talk entails a scenario when an individual utilizes affirming and
encouraging terminology inside their thoughts. On the other hand, negative self-talk entails
the use of judgmental and criticizing language in your thoughts. Pause to consider your
internal monologue: Are you harsh on yourself? Do you judge yourself? Are you a person
who encourages and supports yourself? Do you use phrases like "I am doing the best I can"
or "Everyone must think I am foolish" to describe your actions? It is not necessary to deceive

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oneself into believing that everything is fantastic to practice positive self-talk. It is probably
impossible, and certainly not constructive, to have a good attitude all of the time. Instead,
positive self-talk assists you in seeing a complete truth, rather than simply the bad parts of
any particular scenario, which allows you to make better decisions. Increasing your use of
positive self-talk increases your chances of developing confidence and self-esteem, feeling
more in charge of your life, and achieving your objectives.

The self-determination theory (SDT) developed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan
asserts that, regardless of whether self-talk is seen as pressurizing or supporting, it may be a
crucial predictor of later motivation, feeling, and conduct (Conroy et al. 2017). Following this
logic, talking to oneself in a way that is viewed as pressurizing, important, and that frustrates
personal empowerment would most likely result in a lack of task participation and more
unfavorable emotional consequences. A command such as "keep your head steady" that is
favorably stated yet is regarded as confining and pressurizing may negatively affect. A harsh
self-administered lesson may underline that the athlete can modify their environment, with
the resulting adaptive outcomes resulting from that adjustment.

The associated self-talk during endurance performance is focused on the body
sensations. It tends to be more prevalent in high-intensity sports performances than in other
types of sports. Take the following example: "My shoulders are tense, and that is exactly how
I need to feel right now." Self-talk might be divided into two categories depending on how
clear it is. In other words, self-talk may be spoken publicly and loudly, it can be delivered
indirectly via the tongue, or it can be entirely internal. Internal and open self-talk are identical
in terms of important aspects, even though only open self-talk requires voice reproduction in
the first place. Son et al. (2018) researched the influence of internal conversation on
performance and self-efficacy. They randomly chose a group of undergraduate students and

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used the pronoun "I" throughout the trial to indicate that they intended these individuals to
practice internal chat. The researchers found that when they used the pronoun "I" to refer to
their competencies and the pronoun "we" to refer to their group competencies


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