(1) Background: Self-talk (ST) is used to influence athletes' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Samples of squad and competitive athletes are underrepresented, although research has proven the ...positive effects of ST in the context of sports. Thus, the present study focused on the impact of ST on psychological and performance outcomes of junior sub-elite athletes. (2) Methods:
= 117 athletes (55 females, 62 males;
= 16.0 years) were randomly assigned to either one of two experimental groups or to a control group (
= 30). The experimental groups received an ST intervention for either one week (
= 36) or eight weeks (
= 38), and the control group received no ST training. The dependent variables (competitive anxiety, volitional skills, self-efficacy, and coaches' performance ratings) were assessed three times before and after the intervention. It was expected that (a) an ST intervention would reduce the competitive anxiety and increase volitional skills, self-efficacy, and performance; and, (b) long-term training would lead to higher effects than short-term training. (3) Results: As expected, ST training led to (less) somatic state anxiety and (higher) state self-confidence, self-optimization, self-efficacy, and performance. Additionally, long-term training was more effective than short-term training. (4) Conclusions: Targeted ST interventions may help to improve junior athletes' psychological states and performance.
The ISSP Position Stand on Career Development and Transitions of Athletes draws attention to viewing athletes from the perspective of their career development and their broader historical and ...socio-cultural contexts. The particular focus of this paper is on career transitions as turning phases in career development. Successfully coping with transitions both within and outside of sport allows greater opportunity for an athlete to live a long and successful life in sport as well as being able to adjust effectively to the post-career. Alternatively, failure in coping with a transition is often followed by negative consequences (e.g., premature dropout from sport, neuroses, alcohol/drug abuse, etc.). Therefore, helping athletes prepare for and/or cope with career transitions should be of primary concern for coaches, managers, athletes' parents, and sport psychology consultants. In this paper we emphasize the role of contextual factors in career development/transition research and practice. Based on the literature review, we propose six statements and related recommendations for athletes and their significant others, as well as for researchers and consultants
Mit zunehmender akademischer Karrierestufe sinkt der Anteil von Frauen im Bereich der Informatik. Wir fragen nach möglichen Zugängen von Frauen zum Studium und zur Promotion in der Informatik sowie ...nach Bedingungen der beruflichen Sozialisation. Es wurden 14 teilstrukturierte Interviews mit IT-Promovendinnen durchgeführt. Anhand von Erzählungen und Beschreibungen wurden förderliche und hinderliche Bedingungen als strukturelle Öffnungen, Schließungen und Hierarchisierungen identifiziert. Hierarchisierungen finden sich u. a. in der geschlechterbezogenen Zuteilung und Übernahme von Arbeitstätigkeiten. Trotz der Wahrnehmung von Geschlechtergerechtigkeit sind die Zugänge zu einer männlich dominierten Disziplin strukturell reglementiert. Öffnungsprozesse jedoch weisen auf Möglichkeiten des Vergessens von Geschlecht und in der Folge auch auf Möglichkeiten der strukturellen Durchsetzung von Gleichberechtigung hin.
The primary objective of this study was to compare youth athletes from two culturally distinct nations (Germany and Japan) on key aspects of their psychological make-up (goal orientation, fear of ...evaluation) and perceived coach support.
Data were obtained with questionnaires distributed during a training session and analyzed with regression as well as multivariate and univariate analyses of variance.
There were 56 German (30 female, 26 male) and 117 Japanese (60 female, 57 male) swimmers with a mean age of 13.2 (SD = 2.0) and 14.1 (SD = 1.8) years, respectively. All of the athletes participated regularly in high-level competitions.
As hypothesized, the German athletes were more task than ego oriented and more task focused than the Japanese, whereas the latter group had higher ego orientation scores than the German swimmers and put similar emphasis on both task and ego concerns. Contrary to expectations, however, there were no differences between the national cohorts in evaluative fear. The Japanese swimmers perceived their training climates to be more competition oriented than did the German participants. In terms of coach–athlete interactions, the German athletes reported significantly more instruction, positive feedback, and social support than the Japanese. Coach variables contributed significantly to the Japanese participants' feelings of satisfaction, with no such correlations in the German sample.
Results are interpreted through cultural traditions and may be partly explained by differences in individualism. Practical recommendations for coaches and consultants are offered in light of the research findings.
► Adolescent age group swimmers from two cultures (Germany, Japan) were investigated. ► German athletes were more task and less ego oriented than the Japanese. ► Japanese swimmers perceived their training climate to be more competition oriented than the Germans. ► German athletes perceived significantly more coach instruction and support. ► Coach variables contributed significantly to the Japanese participants' feelings of satisfaction, but not to those of the German athletes.
The primary objective of this study is to identify the personal characteristics that predict dropout versus continuation among dual career athletes from different sports who attend sports schools. ...These schools provide an optimal environment for combining an academic education with a sports career.
At the end of the school year, all 10th graders (52 girls, 73 boys) from five out of six sports schools in Saxony, Germany, completed a standardised questionnaire that measured personal characteristics deemed important for a successful career – personality traits (Freiburger Persönlichkeitsinventar – FPI), goal orientation (Sport Orientation Questionnaire – SOQ), and volitional skills (Volitional Components in Sport – VKS). In addition, demographic and sport-related data were collected. One year later, at the end of 11th grade, all participants again completed the questionnaire.
At Time 2, 37 athletes (29.6%) had dropped out of their sport career, and 88 athletes were still pursuing their sport career. A majority of the dropouts were from individual sports (n = 31) and were females (n = 23). A logistic regression analysis of physical complaints (higher for dropouts), win motivation and self-optimisation (each lower for dropouts) as significant covariates correctly classified 65% of the dropouts and 92% of the non-dropouts.
Personal characteristics, motivation and volition in particular, played important roles for those adolescent athletes who remained active in their sport. Accordingly, it is suggested that young athletes receive psychological training focused on these specific personal characteristics.
•Dual career athletes from German elite sport schools took part in a prospective study.•Athletes who dropped out from sport more often came from individual than team sports.•Physical complaints, low win orientation and low self-optimization predicted dropout.•Training of volitional skills may help to prevent dropout from sport.
Physical and cognitive activity seems to be an effective strategy by which to promote age-sensitive fluid cognitive abilities in older adults.
In this randomized controlled trial, 70 healthy senior ...citizens (age 60-75) were allocated to a physical, cognitive, combined physical plus cognitive, and waiting control group. The trial assessed information processing speed, short-term memory, spatial relations, concentration, reasoning, and cognitive speed.
In contrast to the control group, the physical, cognitive, and combined training groups enhanced their concentration immediately after intervention. Only the physical training group showed improved concentration 3 months later. The combined training group displayed improved cognitive speed both immediately and three months after intervention. The cognitive training group displayed improved cognitive speed 3 months after intervention.
Physical, cognitive, and combined physical plus cognitive activity can be seen as cognition-enrichment behaviors in healthy older adults that show different rather than equal intervention effects.
Aim: In order to find conditions that may promote or constrain the career of women doctors, we conducted longitudinal interviews with dualcareer couples over a period of four to six years. Based on ...content analysis, we identified one couple for detailed analysis. For minimally and maximally contrasting these couples, we complemented our analysis by including additional couples for gaining more structured insights. Results: Despite egalitarian role concepts prior to pregnancy, it is through the transition into a triad that effects of traditionalism emerge for which, in turn, socialization effects from the family of origin are meaningful. Conflicts do arise when both the areas of professional and family life do not lose their relevance after entering parenthood. It requires a high degree of management for getting things organized, especially on the part of the women. Discussion: In addition to important structural and organizational working conditions that serve as important providers of structure, individual needs of women doctors have to be taken into account for enabling women doctors to perform satisfactorily in both areas of life.
Zusammenfassung
Ziel: Anhand einer detaillierten Fallbeschreibung werden karriereförderliche- und hinderliche Bedingungen auf subjektiver und Paarebene rekonstruiert, denen Ärztinnen durch das kritische Lebensereignis Elternschaft ausgesetzt werden können. Um Aussagen struktureller Art treffen zu können, werden diesem Paar weitere Paare in minimalem und maximalem Kontrast dazugestellt, die in einem längsschnittlichen Design über vier bis sechs Jahre mindestens drei Mal interviewt wurden. Ergebnisse: Trotz egalitärer Rollenvorstellungen der Paare vor einer Schwangerschaft kann es zu Traditionalisierungseffekten durch den Übergang in eine Triade kommen, wobei Sozialisationserfahrungen aus der Ursprungsfamilie bedeutsam sind. Konflikte entstehen dann, wenn die Lebensbereiche Beruf und Familie für karriereorientierte Ärztinnen durch eine Elternschaft nicht an Bedeutung verlieren, sondern sie beides gleichzeitig wollen. Die damit verbundenen Anforderungen einlösen zu können, erfordert gerade auf Seiten der Frau ein hohes Maß an Organisation und Arrangement. Diskussion: Neben arbeitsstrukturellen und -organisatorischen Bedingungen und Strukturgebern, müssen individuelle Bedarfe der Ärztinnen in den Blick genommen werden, um beide Lebensbereiche zufriedenstellend ausfüllen zu können.
In German medicine, there is a gap between the increasing number of female medical students and the backlog of women at different turning points of their career. In hospitals, which can be regarded ...as ‘gendered organizations’, female doctors are confronted with structural discrimination, which is interpreted as gendering processes. In a qualitative, longitudinal study with twenty female physicians who were interviewed three times over the course of 5 years, discriminatory processes were shown on two levels. First, female physicians were categorized as females, and their gender role rather than their professional role as a physician was emphasized. Second, if they were (expectant) mothers, they became even more stereotyped as a female. This stereotyping occurred by reinforcing the conflict between the role of a mother and the role of a professional. It is shown how the women themselves, organizational peculiarities of hospitals, job conditions, and behaviours of male staff members may all contribute to maintaining vertical gender inequality in medicine.
Evidence in the literature indicates that doctoral candidates may experience increased levels of stress and worry about successfully completing their doctorate degrees. As a result, a significant ...number of doctoral candidates drop out. In our study with 424 doctoral students in computer science (113 women, 311 men), we ask about the frequency of dropout thoughts as an indicator of possible premature termination. By means of machine learning algorithms, we extract variables associated with higher or lower likelihood of dropout thoughts. In particular, satisfaction with advisor’s support, experiencing a crisis, professional self-efficacy, choice of advisor, and perceived meaningfulness of additional work tasks proved to be of central importance. Based on these results, we suggest taking steps to improve professional and social support for doctoral students. Recommendations include implementing more intensive supervision in the early stages of the doctorate, improve the match between doctoral candidates’ expectations and the requirements of the respective institute, monitor progress during the doctorate (e.g., with the help of an advisor agreement), and increase the qualifications of advisors to include leadership and communication skills.
Evidence in the literature indicates that doctoral candidates may experience increased levels of stress and worry about successfully completing their doctorate degrees. As a result, a significant ...number of doctoral candidates drop out. In our study with 424 doctoral students in computer science (113 women, 311 men), we ask about the frequency of dropout thoughts as an indicator of possible premature termination. By means of machine learning algorithms, we extract variables associated with higher or lower likelihood of dropout thoughts. In particular, "satisfaction with advisor's support," "experiencing a crisis," "professional self-efficacy," "choice of advisor," and "perceived meaningfulness of additional work tasks" proved to be of central importance. Based on these results, we suggest taking steps to improve professional and social support for doctoral students. Recommendations include implementing more intensive supervision in the early stages of the doctorate, improve the match between doctoral candidates' expectations and the requirements of the respective institute, monitor progress during the doctorate (e.g., with the help of an advisor agreement), and increase the qualifications of advisors to include leadership and communication skills.
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