Management of psychological pressures in competitive situations with cognitive appraisals

Abstract

Psychological pressure or what we call stress is experienced by sportspersons and athletes because the consequences of failure are important to them. Stress occurs when there is an imbalance between requirement and the person’s capacity or abilities. It fluctuates based on the individual differences and the environment, which is especially relevant to athletes. How can the athletes whose emotional investment is negatively impacting their personal performance in sports be helped. Players still need some form of demand to function best, but too high can be unfavorable to their well-being, health and performance. This paper tends to illuminate the effects of various techniques which can help combat stress. Stress management is made up of treatment techniques, which have the ability to “reduce stressors, modify cognitive appraisals, reduce affect states, increase positive affect states and facilitate effective coping Behaviors”. Techniques like self-talk, imagery and relaxation work efficiently in competitive stress situations. Self talk involves cue words used strategically to enhance performance, raise confidence and increase motivation whereas Imagery is the mental creation of sensory experiences and relaxation involves voluntary reduction in psychological and muscle tension. These techniques have proved to be very helpful in enhancing performance of novice and elite athletes.