Olympic-Size Ethical Dilemmas: Issues and Challenges for Sport Psychology Consultants on the Road and at the Olympic Games

Haberl, Peter; Peterson, Kirsten

doi:10.1207/s15327019eb1601_4

Cited by 56 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Specifically, the data suggested that in addition to building relationships with all staff members (see also Haberl & Peterson, 2006), educating coaches to help them develop the same mental skills as that of athletes (see e.g. Portenga et al, 2012), and creating a coach, athlete, and psychologist triad (see also Samulski & Lopes, 2008), practitioners should be aware of any potential barriers that might be encountered if they wish to be effective within these multidisciplinary teams.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preparing athletes and teams for the Olympic Games: Experiences and lessons learned from the world's best sport psychologists

Arnold

Sarkar

2014

International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

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As part of an increased effort to understand the most effective ways to psychologically prepare athletes and teams for Olympic competition, a number of sport psychology consultants have offered best-practice insights into working in this context. These individual reports have typically comprised anecdotal reflections of working with particular sports or countries; therefore, a more holistic approach is needed so that developing practitioners can have access to -and utilise -a comprehensive evidence-base. The purpose of this paper is to provide a panel-type article, which offers lessons and advice for the next generation of aspiring practitioners on preparing athletes and teams for the Olympic Games from some of the world's most recognised and experienced sport psychologists. The sample comprised 15 sport psychology practitioners who, collectively, have accumulated over 200 years of firsthand experience preparing athletes and/or teams from a range of nations for six summer and five winter Olympic Games. Interviews with the participants revealed 28 main themes and 5 categories: Olympic stressors, success and failure lessons, top tips for neophyte practitioners, differences within one's own consulting work, and multidisciplinary consulting. It is hoped that the findings of this study can help the next generation of sport psychologists better face the realities of Olympic consultancy and plan their own professional development so that, ultimately, their aspirations to be the world's best can become a reality. Winning an Olympic gold medal is typically recognised as the ultimate accolade of a successful athletic career and arguably the most demanding challenge an athlete can pursue (Fletcher & Sarkar, 2012;Gould, Dieffenbach, & Moffett, 2002). This is, in part, due to the unique occurrence of the Olympics which takes place only once every four years. It is this infrequency of the event, combined with its magnitude and the globalisation of the sport industry, that ensures worldwide interest in and fascination with athletes' performances. This intense scrutiny, however, brings with it enormous pressure and only those who can manage the stress that accompanies sport at this level will be successful. It is no surprise, then, that there has been an increased effort to understand the most effective ways to psychologically prepare athletes and teams for Olympic competition (see e.g. Gould & Maynard, 2009).Over the past three decades, there has been a growth in the number of sport psychologists helping athletes and teams prepare for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Furthermore, research on the individual consultants has provided insight into different philosophies when working with Olympic athletes and teams, including an educational mental skills approach (Halliwell, 1989), a broad spectrum systems theory approach (May & Brown, 1989), and a preventative medicine model approach (Murphy & Ferrante, 1989).Although the sport psychology literature has greatly increased our best-practice knowledge of the most effective w...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preparing athletes and teams for the Olympic Games: Experiences and lessons learned from the world's best sport psychologists

Arnold

Sarkar

2014

International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

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“…Specifically, and in contrast to McCann's (2008) (Harberl & Peterson, 2006). Of course, this consideration of what might go wrong needs to be done well in advance of competition to then allow focus to return to wholly positive and productive behaviors in the immediate period before performance.…”

Section: The Planning Framework and Its Basismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As such, the P 7 approach has worked in our experience, if by no other means, through establishing and maintaining a focus on the process of performance preparation rather than the tempting, often media-induced, and well known emphasis on outcome (cf. Harberl & Peterson, 2006;Hermansson & Hodge, 2012).…”

Section: How the Planning Framework Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gould & Maynard, 2009), staff, drug testing (cf. Vernacchia & Henschen, 2008), media (Harberl & Peterson, 2006;Kristiansen, Hanstad, & Roberts, 2011), and the quality and perceived quality of preparation (Olusoga, Maynard, Hays, & Butt, 2012). Epistemologically, such an approach has its roots in the classic Antecedents-Behavior-Consequences model of cognitive-behavioral approaches to performance optimization; whereby individuals increasingly engage in specific behaviors when these are promoted by antecedent stimuli and systematically reinforced by controlled consequences (Martin & Pear, 2003).…”

Section: How the Planning Framework Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Accordingly, and following the experience-based contributions of others (e.g., Harberl & Peterson, 2006;Haberl & McCann, 2012;Hodge & Hermansson, 2007;Samulski & Lopes, 2008;Galloway, 2007;Portenga, Aoyagi, & Statler, 2012;Vernacchia & Henschen, 2008), we therefore take a reflective rather than investigative approach to share a framework that, for us, has helped to manage the Olympic challenge.…”

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The P⁷approach to the Olympic challenge: Sharing a practical framework for mission preparation and execution

Collins

Cruickshank

2014

International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

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The Olympic Games represent the biggest and third biggest sporting occasions in the world (Summer and Winter respectively). As such, dealing with the various challenges and optimizing performance at this event has been an important dual focus for team leaders, coaches, performers, and their supporting sport psychologists. In this paper, we share an organizational approach to planning and preparation that, in our experience, provides an effective setup for athletes, coaches, and support teams alike. Specifically, this presented framework enables the focused tasking of support staff and resources to address both individual and specific challenges. To illuminate the route via which this approach delivers its impact, underpinning mechanisms, advantages, and other considerations are also presented.

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Handbook of Motivational Counseling

Cox¹,

Klinger²

2011

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Olympic-Size Ethical Dilemmas: Issues and Challenges for Sport Psychology Consultants on the Road and at the Olympic Games

Cited by 56 publications

References 10 publications

Preparing athletes and teams for the Olympic Games: Experiences and lessons learned from the world's best sport psychologists

Preparing athletes and teams for the Olympic Games: Experiences and lessons learned from the world's best sport psychologists

The P⁷approach to the Olympic challenge: Sharing a practical framework for mission preparation and execution

Handbook of Motivational Counseling

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Olympic-Size Ethical Dilemmas: Issues and Challenges for Sport Psychology Consultants on the Road and at the Olympic Games

Cited by 56 publications

References 10 publications

Preparing athletes and teams for the Olympic Games: Experiences and lessons learned from the world's best sport psychologists

Preparing athletes and teams for the Olympic Games: Experiences and lessons learned from the world's best sport psychologists

The P7approach to the Olympic challenge: Sharing a practical framework for mission preparation and execution

Handbook of Motivational Counseling

Contact Info

Product

Resources

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The P⁷approach to the Olympic challenge: Sharing a practical framework for mission preparation and execution