Arousal, Stress and Anxiety in Sports

Arousal,
Stress, and
Anxiety in
Sports
Defining Arousal,
States
Stress, and
Anxiety
Trait
Is Arousal the Same as
Anxiety?
Arousal is a general physiological
and psychological activation, varying
in intensity along a continuum.
Anxiety is a negative emotional state
with feelings of worry, nervousness,
and apprehension associated with
activation of the body.
Measuring Arousal
and Anxiety
Physiological signs (heart rate,
respiration, skin conductance,
biochemistry)
Global and multidimensional

self-report surveys
e.g. Sport Anxiety Scale (trait anxiety)

e.g. Sport Competition Anxiety Test (trait)
e.g. Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2
Trait and State
Anxiety Relationship
High versus low trait anxious people
usually have more state anxiety in
highly evaluative situations.
Stress and
the Stress Process
Stress: A substantial imbalance between

physical and psychological demands
placed on an individual and his or her
response capability under conditions
where failure to meet demands has
important consequences.
(continued)
The Stage 1
Stress
Process
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stress and Stress Process
Implications
Intervene during any of the
four stages of the stress process
or cycle.
Viewing stress as a process, not a

discrete entity
Sources of Stress
and Anxiety
Situational Event importance
sources
Uncertainty
Trait anxiety
Personal sources
Self-esteem
Social physique anxiety

How Arousal and Anxiety
Affect Performance
Drive theory
Inverted–U hypothesis
Individualized zones
of optimal functioning
Multidimensional anxiety theory

How Arousal and Anxiety
Affect Performance
Catastrophe model
Reversal theory
Anxiety direction
and intensity
Significance of
all these views
Drive Theory
Inverted–U Hypothesis
Individualized Zones
of Optimal Functioning (IZOF)
Hypothesis
Catastrophe Model
Catastrophe Model
Reversal Theory
How arousal affects performance

depends on an individual’s interpretation
of his or her arousal level.
Arousal can be interpreted as

pleasant/excitement or as
unpleasant/anxiety.
Arousal interpreted as pleasant

facilitates performance, and arousal
interpreted as unpleasant hurts
performance.
Anxiety Direction
and Intensity
An individual’s interpretation of anxiety
symptoms is important for understanding
the anxiety-performance relationship.
To understand the anxiety-performance
relationship, both the intensity (how
much anxiety one feels) and direction
(a person’s interpretation of anxiety as
being facilitating or debilitating to
performance) must be considered.
(continued)
Anxiety Direction
and Intensity
Viewing anxiety as facilitative leads
to superior performance.
Some support has been found
for this view.
Significance of All the Arousal–
Performance Views
**Arousal is multifaceted**
Arousal and state anxiety do not always have a
negative effect on performance— they can be
facilitative or debilitative depending on the
interpretation.
Some optimal level of arousal leads to peak performance, but the

optimal
levels of physiological activation and arousal-related thoughts (worry)
are
not the same.
(continued)
Significance of All the Arousal–
Performance Views
Combination of a.) physiological arousal
and b.) arousal interpretation are more
important than actual levels of each.
It is doubtful that the optimal level of

arousal is always at the midpoint of the
arousal scale.
Why Arousal and Anxiety
Influence Performance
Increased muscle tension and
coordination difficulties
Attention and concentration changes:
Narrowing of attention
Shift to dominant style
Attend to inappropriate cues
Why Arousal
Influences
Performance
Attentional narrowing
Implications for Practice
Identify optimal combinations of arousal-

related emotions needed for best
performance.
Recognize how personal and situational

factors interact to influence arousal,
anxiety, and performance.
Interactional Model of Anxiety
Recognize arousal and state
anxiety signs (feeling ill, dazed,muscle
tension etc.)
Tailor coaching strategies to individuals:

Different strokes for different folks.
Sometimes arousal and state anxiety must be reduced, other times
maintained, and other times facilitated.
Develop performers’ confidence.

Recognize Symptoms of Arousal and
State Anxiety
Cold, clammy hands
Constant need to urinate
Profuse sweating
Negative self-talk
Dazed look in eyes
(continued)
State Anxiety
Feel ill
Headache
Cotton (dry) mouth
Constantly sick
Difficulties sleeping
(continued)
State Anxiety
Increased muscle tension
Butterflies in stomach
Inability to concentrate
Consistently perform better in nonevaluative situations
Sport-related Anxiety
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/
PMC5667788/#:~:text=In%20short%2C
%20sport%2Drelated%20anxiety,risk
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Arousal,

Global and multidimensional

e.g. Sport Anxiety Scale (trait anxiety)

Stress: A substantial imbalance between

Viewing stress as a process, not a

Social physique anxiety

Multidimensional anxiety theory

How arousal affects performance

Arousal can be interpreted as

Arousal interpreted as pleasant

Some optimal level of arousal leads to peak performance, but the

It is doubtful that the optimal level of

Identify optimal combinations of arousal-

Recognize how personal and situational

Tailor coaching strategies to individuals:

Develop performers’ confidence.

Constant need to urinate

Dazed look in eyes

Cotton (dry) mouth

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