The intervention was devised to increase awareness of explanatory style and to encourage player’s to look at positive aspects of self and their strengths. I created an intervention to use with the footballers based on this theory using both Seligman’s book “Learned Optimism” (2006) and “Group Psychotherapy Psychology Manual” (PPT Park & Seligman, 2007). It is the scientific study of optimal functioning of people, groups, and institutions which promotes positive aspects of life such as happiness, well-being, satisfaction, hope and optimism (Joseph & Linley, 2007). Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi (2000) reported that positive psychology, “has many distinguished ancestors, and we make no claim of originality” (p. In 2010, I completed a study “the effectiveness of a positive psychology intervention on optimism levels of female soccer players” where I carried out 8 sessions of positive psychology sessions with 15 semi professional female soccer players in the ‘Hampton Roads Piranhas’ from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Therefore, to sustain or promote positive self esteem, we could try to make athletes more optimistic. Liable to under perofrm in sport when faced with stressful game or defeat.Prone to feel helpless when face a stressful situation.More susceptible to depression when things go wrong.Research in Seligman’s book (2006) shows that people who have a pessimistic explanatory style are: Less likely to burn out (Tsai, Chen & Kee, 2007 In.Little variability (Swimming: Seligman et al., 1990).More wins (basketball, baseball: Rettew & Reivich, 1995 In Bonniwell, 2006). Overcome adversities, motivation, and persistence.Better performance and less variability (football Gordan & Kane, 2001).There have been various studies that show the benefits of being optimistic such as: Performers who have an optimistic explanatory style are more likely to believe they will succeed in the future. Therefore, their self esteem is not effected because they believe that they are in control of the good and not of the negative.īy believing that you are had a good performance because you are talented (internal, stable, global) and not because you play in a good team, or you were lucky (external, temporary) will allow you to believe you are capable of future positive performances. Whilst they view unsuccessful performances as temporary setbacks, and the cause to be something out with their control e.g. When someone has an optimistic explanatory style, the belief that one will have a successful performance is within their control, and the reason is stable e.g. The main advantages of having an optimistic explanatory style is that you are more likely to be persistent and committed during the action phase of working towards a goal and are more likely to be able to tolerate uncontrollable suffereing (Espahbodi, Dugar & Tehranian, 1991). So why is it good for athletes to be optimistic? We lost the game because the other team scored a lucky goal. Negative event: external (outwith person’s control), unstable (the reason is only temporary) and specific (only effects that certain situation) factors e.g.Positive events: internal (within persons control) stable (this reason will always be the there) and global (effects everything) causes e.g.What is an Optimistic Explanatory Style? (Peterson, 2000) We can also use people’s explanatory style to predict biases, and future outcomes because of their expectations of success or failures (Seligman, 1991). Looking at how people explain certain events, or the reason behind the athletes success or failure, we can see if they are optimistic or not. Explanatory style examines the way an individual explains their experiences, successes and failures (Scheier & Carver, 1985 In. Optimism in sport Written by Tracy DonachieĪbraham Lincoln once described an a optimist as someone who “finds opportunity in every difficulty” whilst a pessimist to be someone who ‘finds difficulty in every opportunity”.Īnother way to look at optimism is in terms of explanatory style.
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