PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING ON ATHLETES

Psychological Testing on Athletes

Psychological Testing on Athletes

Introduction

In contradiction of the technical and physical game regarding which there exists a profusion of data and scientific information in addition to the objective performance statistics' huge volumes, when the game's mental side is concerned there is a scarcity of reliable and valid information regarding its dynamics. The Applied Sports Psychology field continues to be caught up within a paradigm, which is relaying partially in interventions (which have not been corroborated), weak data and assessments methods that are questionable. Furthermore, it persists on overemphasizing findings, which got obtained from the group studies as explanation for the continual utilization of a number of its interventions and procedures in spite of the fact that these decisions do not essentially simplify to the individual athlete. This is paradoxical, particularly as the majority of the outstanding peak performance theories (IZOF [Individual Zone of Optimum Functioning]) emphasize the requirement for establishing individual athlete arousal profiles (Carlstedt, 2007; Hanin, 2000). This paper discusses psychological testing on athletes in a holistic context.

Discussion

In the last three decades, the sport psychology field has developed at such a swift pact that a number of people do not possess a lucid comprehension of what is included within the field. Sports psychology's most definitions lucidly emphasize two key parts: mental health and performance enhancement. A number of people consider the sport psychology field to be quite narrow, whereas actually the field possesses a broad array of scope and applications to numerous fields of our lives. Such broad array is signified within the field currently being referred to as exercise and sports psychology. The performance improvement feature of exercise and sport psychology related to the impact of psychological factors on performance in sports. Such psychological factors comprise of personality, mental preparation, motivation, confidence, concentration, and anxiety. The performance improvement feature of exercise and sports psychology is not limited to privileged athletes (Morrow, Jackson, Disch & Mood, 2010).

Evaluating physical aptitude is comparatively uncomplicated for scouts and coaches. They could carry out numerous tests of physical endurance, observe the athletes in action, or appraise the stats of a player, whether in the form of quantity of medals, goals, or touchdowns. Nonetheless, as all athletes, coaches, and scouts are aware that contending in sports is as much a psychological attempt as it is a physical one. The utmost athletic skills and talent would entail modest affect if an individual experiences concentration difficulties, lack of confidence, or a poor work ethic. Psychological evaluations could provide insights into the mind of an athlete and facilitate scouts and coaches for:

Assessing personality traits, which are depicted in the research of sports psychology as having an effect on performance of an athlete such as focus, mental toughness, and competitiveness.

Pinpointing mental blocks, which could prevent the athletes from achieving their maximum potential.

Understanding the strength of an athlete and focusing training on areas, which demand additional improvement.

Utilizing the athletic evaluations provides numerous advantages, which include:

A personal, secure testing account where present and past reports of ...