IS "SPORT PSYCHOLOGY" THE APPROPRIATE TERM TO DEFINE COUNSELING BASED ON PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT?
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Authors
QHALLER, MAVYAA
Issue Date
2002
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Sport psychology has been a growing field for the last four decades. As for any new field, its development has been slow and challenging, facing skepticism from professionals practicing in related fields. Efforts have been made to raise its credibility and to formalize its professionalization, therefore the topics addressed as central to the profession have shifted along with the framework adopted by its practitioners. During the beginning of the professionalization process of sport psychology, the study of psychological concepts in sport settings and a clinical approach to sport psychology represented the dominant trend. Later on, after the rapid progress of the theoretical base of the profession and a more cognitive-behavioral and educational approach, new issues, such as certification, ethical boundaries and role definition started to arise. Within this evolution, it seemed pertinent to the researcher to look at athletes' perceptions of the term sport psychology in order to evaluate if "sport psychology consultant" was considered an appropriate title for practitioners who consulted with athletes on mental techniques to enhance their sport performance.