Sport psychology consulting at elite sport competitions.

This paper examines reflective practice by illustrating and commenting upon aspects of an elite sport psychology practitioner’s reflective processes. Extracts from a practitioner’s reflective diary, maintained during attendance at a major sporting event, focused upon issues that relate to on-going relationships and communication with fellow practitioners and athletes. Authors one and three offered subsequent comment on these accounts to facilitate movement toward critical reflection via an intrapersonal process creating considerations for the practitioners with regard to skills and personal development. These issues are discussed in relation to pragmatic topics such as “staged” and “layered” reflection encouraged by author collaboration and shared writing within the present paper. We argue these outcomes against more philosophical/opaque considerations such as the progression of critical reflection and critical social science.

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The Challenges of Sport Psychology Delivery in Elite and Professional Sport: Reflections From Experienced Sport Psychologists

The Sport Psychologist ◽

10.1123/tsp.2014-0081 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 265-277 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Michael McDougall ◽

Mark Nesti ◽

David Richardson

Keyword(s):

Sport Psychology ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Professional Sports ◽

Professional Sport ◽

Narrative Form ◽

Multiple Relationships ◽

Elite Sport ◽

Sports Teams ◽

Effective Service ◽

Insight Into

The challenges encountered by sport psychologists operating within elite and professional sports teams have arguably been inadequately considered (Nesti, 2010). It has been suggested that this may be due to the inaccessibility of elite team environments (Eubank, Nesti, & Cruickshank, 2014; Nesti, 2010). The purpose of this research was to examine the challenges facing practitioners who operate in elite environments and to illuminate how these were experienced. Qualitative interviews with six experienced applied sport psychologists were conducted and a narrative themed analysis undertaken. Four main themes emerged as most prevalent and meaningful: challenges to congruence, a broader role: managing multiple relationships, the influence of elite sport cultures, and surviving and thriving were presented in narrative form. Practitioners provided experiential insight into how specific challenges were understood and dealt with, and how they are able to provide an effective service while managing themselves and the demands of the environment.

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Organizational Culture Beyond Consensus and Clarity: Narratives From Elite Sport

The Sport Psychologist ◽

10.1123/tsp.2019-0163 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 288-299

Author(s):

Michael McDougall ◽

Noora Ronkainen ◽

David Richardson ◽

Martin Littlewood ◽

Mark Nesti

Keyword(s):

Organizational Culture ◽

Sport Psychology ◽

Thematic Analysis ◽

Elite Sport ◽

Narrative Interviews ◽

Research And Practice ◽

Course Of Action ◽

Inclusive Concept ◽

Cultural Content

In sport psychology, organizational culture is usually depicted as shared, consistent, and clear—the glue that holds people together so they can achieve success. There is, however, growing discontent in sport psychology with this idea of culture and extensive critiques in other academic domains that suggest this perspective is limited. Accordingly, the authors draw on narrative interviews with participants (n = 7) from different areas of sport and use Martin and Meyerson’s three perspective (integration, differentiation, and fragmentation) approach to culture alongside thematic analysis to reconstruct three “ideal cases” that exemplify each perspective. The findings emphasize a different pattern of meaning in each actors’ narrative and suggest the need to develop a broader, more inclusive concept of culture, so as not to minimize or dismiss cultural content that is not obviously shared, clear, or created by leadership; a course of action that can enhance both research and practice in the area.

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“In the Boat” but “Selling Myself Short”: Stories, Narratives, and Identity Development in Elite Sport

The Sport Psychologist ◽

10.1123/tsp.27.1.27 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 27-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

David Carless ◽

Kitrina Douglas

Keyword(s):

Identity Development ◽

Sport Psychology ◽

Athletic Identity ◽

Elite Sport ◽

Cultural Narratives ◽

Male Athletes ◽

Sport Culture ◽

Narrative Methodology ◽

Psychology Literature ◽

Professional Golfers

Through narrative methodology this study explores the processes and consequences of identity development among young elite athletes, with particular reference to the influence of sport culture. We focus on life stories of two elite male athletes, recounting significant moments from their lives analyzed through the lens of narrative theory. Our findings offer insights into three strands of sport psychology literature. First, responding to calls for a cultural sport psychology, our study reveals how elite sport culture shapes psychological processes of identity development. Second, it shows how the origins of a potentially problematic athletic identity are seeded in early sport experiences, shedding light on how athletic identity is developed or resisted. Finally, it extends previous narrative research into the lives of female professional golfers, documenting how comparable processes unfold among male athletes in other sports, deepening understanding of how cultural narratives influence behavior and life choices.

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Simplicity Does Not Always Lead to Enlightenment: A Critical Commentary on “Adaptation Processes Affecting Performance in Elite Sport”

Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology ◽

10.1123/jcsp.2014-0013 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 75-91 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Katherine A. Tamminen ◽

Peter R.E. Crocker

Keyword(s):

Sport Psychology ◽

Emotional Regulation ◽

Elite Athletes ◽

Relevant Literature ◽

Elite Sport ◽

Critical Commentary ◽

Adaptation Processes ◽

S Model

This paper is a critical commentary on the article “Adaptation Processes Affecting Performance in Elite Sport” (Schinke, Battochio, Lidor, Tenenbaum, Dube, & Lane, 2012). We review relevant literature and highlight theoretical and conceptual concerns regarding Schinke et al.’s model, particularly regarding their characterization of adaptation as a process versus an outcome, and the role of appraisals, emotions, emotional regulation, coping, and Fiske’s (2004) core motives within their model of adaptation. Adaptation or adjustment among elite athletes is a valuable area of research in sport psychology; however, Schinke et al.’s model oversimplifies the adaptation process and has limited utility among sport psychology researchers and practitioners.

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