Anxiety 1 Lesson Summary

Anxiety is a negative emotional state with feelings of nervousness, worry & apprehension. There are 4 main types of anxiety: Cognitive, Somatic, Trait & State. Cognitive anxiety is psychological - it is negative concerns and thoughts about expectations and performance. e.g. "I can't do this". Somatic anxiety is negative perceptions of physiological responses - feeling too tense, sweating too much etc. Cognitive anxiety has a negative impact on performance in sport - as cognitive anxiety increases, performance decreases; whereas somatic anxiety has an inverted-U relationship with performance - some somatic anxiety means performance increases but as it increases further, performance suffers. Cognitive anxiety increases days before the competition and can fluctuate during a performance based on how well the performer is playing. Somatic anxiety increases in the hours before a competition then decreases once the competition starts. Trait anxiety is a natural level of anxiety that a performer has and remains stable. State anxiety is how anxious a performer is in a certain situation. 

Click here for aggression theories test

Anxiety 1 - types of anxiety

Aggression 2 - theories & controlling aggression lesson summary

Instinct theory is the Trait theory of aggression. It suggests that aggression is genetically inherited and that we have a natural instinct to dominate others. Therefore, aggression can occur in all situations, including sport. Aggression releases a feeling of 'catharsis' as you let off steam and pent-up energy.
Social Learning theory suggests aggression is learnt from the environment through modelling of high status or models similar to the performer. Non-aggressive behaviour can also be learnt. Aggression is more likely to occur if the act is reinforced, or not punished (or if the performer thinks it will be reinforced or not punished).
Frustration-Aggression theory suggests that frustration occurs as a result of a goal being blocked. This frustration leads to aggression and if the aggression is successful, the performer releases catharsis but if the act is unsuccessful or punished, the performer becomes more frustrated which can lead to a greater likelihood of further aggression
Aggression Cue hypothesis suggests frustration leads to over-arousal and this state puts the performer in a state where they are ready to be aggressive. It only takes one aggressive 'cue' in the environment to push the performer over the edge and commit an aggressive act. Examples of such cues are an opponent being aggressive to the performer, equipment like stick and helmets that are associated with violence, or even your local rival's shirt.

Aggression can be controlled / reduced by the performer themselves, the coach, an official or National Governing Body. The performer can remove themselves from the situation, lower arousal levels, set performance goals and use non-aggressive role models. The coach can punish the aggressive player by substituting them, try not to reinforce aggression, set performance goals and and teach them to lower arousal. The official can pre-warn the players, be consistent and fair with decisions and punish aggression immediately. The NGB can ban or fine aggressive players, provide fair play awards and use non-aggressive role models.

Aggression 2 - Theories & Controlling aggression

Decide whether each sporting example is aggression or assertion and if aggression, what type?

Aggression 1 lesson summary

Aggression has 4 criteria: it must be a behaviour, there must be harm or injury, the harm must be suffered by another person and the act must be intentional. The exam board credits a 5th criteria (even though, technically it is incorrect) : it is against the rules of the sport.

Hostile Aggression: is where the primary (only) goal is to hurt the other person. these acts are often an angry / emotional response and will be outside the rules. Examples of hostile aggression are often the worst forms - Mike Tyson biting Holfield's ear, Roy Keane tackling Haaland on the knee and Manu Tuilagi punching Chris Ashton.

Instrumental Aggression: is where the primary goal is to win and the secondary goal (used as the instrument to achieve the win) is aggression. In other words, you are aggressive in order to win. Examples could be a tackle in football where you follow through in order to hurt the start player so they don't play well or boxing.

Assertiveness / Assertion: is where you play physically tough and hard but fair. There is no intent to harm & so any harm is accidental. Assertiveness is NOT aggressive. Examples could be going in 100% to win the ball in a tackle or trying your best to beat your opponent to the ball.