Social Psychology in Sport Essay Sample

Social Psychology in Sport
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Social Psychology in Sport
Introduction
Social psychology is quite an extensive discipline whose application spans multiple spheres of life. Various social psychology theories are applicable across specific areas of practice, including sports, medicine, law, and politics, amongst others! This paper will focus on sports as an area that social psychology theories and concepts can optimize performance. Motivation, the Social Identity approach, and interactional Approach theories, will be the core areas of focus in this article. Coaching, exercise, and competing are core phenomena that often feature in sporting events and act as potential areas where social psychology can profoundly impact when well used. Professional sportsmen and women grapple with the daunting tasking of adhering to regular, recommended, and prescribed physical excises. Understanding physical exercise behavioral patterns and sports require an integrated application of information derived from varied sources, including exercise physiology, sports and exercise physiology, body mechanics, and socio-cultural knowledge-based studies.
Social Identity Approach to Sporting Activities
While drawing social identity theory and self-categorization, Rees et al. (2015) observe that social identity underpins sports groups, behavioral patterns, formation and development, support and stress appraisal, and leadership. Social identity theory was advanced to understand the psychology of intergroup relations.
The social identity approach contains social identity theory and self-categorization theory. Social identity as a concept in social psychology has great potential in influencing sports and physical exercise activity. Stevens, Rees, Coffee, et al. (2017) argued that social identity has the potential to advance understanding and enhancement of physical activity behavior. This concept has been used since the 1970s in various contexts, including politics, business and organizations, sport, and health (Stevens, Rees, Coffee, et al.,2017). One critical postulation about the social identity approach revolves around psychology and behavior, which are structured and defined by the group memberships that individuals internalize as part of their sense of self (Stevens, Rees, Coffee, et al.,2017). Social identity theorizing is not merely about external defining features that embody personal behavior, but it also entails shaping and transforming through internalization of an individual sense of self. Thus, self-conceptualization is a circumstance-sensitive phenomenon where self-definition varies as a function of the existing social environment.
The contexts a person’s sense of self implies personal identity that an individual perceives herself or himself as a distinct person. In many group sports, self-definition and identity are reflected as shared membership identity. Social identity embodies people’s sense that they are part of a specific team, squad, or club. The notion of sociality is highly family to sports, and sporting events are often structured by group memberships. Sportsmen and women show tendencies to favor group-based learning, coaching, and playing. Spor...