Sport and Exercise Psychology

Joanne Thatcher is a lecturer at Aberystwyth University. Melissa Day is Senior Lecturer at the University of Chichester Dr. Rachel Rahman is a Lecturer in the School of Psychology at Aberystwyth University. Her area of specialism is exercise motivation and behaviour and she has presented her research at national conferences. She has produced commissioned reports for the NHS trust and County Council and has worked on research projects funded by the Big Lottery Fund, the Ramblers’ Association and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.

• Introduction to sport and exercise psychologyPart 1: Exercise psychologyPhysical inactivity: effects and determinantsPhysical inactivity: the role of the selfBecoming active: models and motivesChanging and maintaining physical activityBeing active: negative effectsBeing active: harmful effectsPart 2: Sport psychologyTraining for competition: individual factorsTraining for competition: social factorsCoping with competition pressureCoping with adversity: injury and burnoutAchieving peak performance and excellence in competitionPutting it all together: applying sport psychologyAnswers to Learning Actvities

′Clear definitions of scientific concepts are presented throughout and highlighted together with discussions relating to strengths and limitations. In addition, conflicting research is presented and reflected upon. The learning activities challenge the reader′s way of thinking and problematizing around both method and content. Other valuable educational approaches are case studies, which make the text more interesting and facilitate a deeper learning approach, as well as suggested further reading for students who want more information and depth....To conclude Sport and Exercise Psychology is well worth reading. As a reader you will find the content slightly different from the mainstream sport and exercise psychology literature and with a strong focus on critical reflection....Is especially well suited for the reader that has a genuine interest in understanding the science behind sport and exercise psychology′ Sofia Bunke Department of Psychology, Lund University