Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

Abstract

The relationship between competitive anxiety and performance has been explained by many authors and researchers. Competitive anxiety can have either a negative or positive effect on performance depending on the athlete’s interpretation of their symptoms. Specifically, the Cusp Catastrophe Model aimed to explain the relationship between physiological arousal and cognitive anxiety, and how these two factors affect performance. Psychological skills training may be used to help train the mind of athletes to decrease competitive anxiety levels and/or reinterpret anxiety symptoms to enhance performance. Gymnastics is a high-skill sport that puts a great amount of stress on the mind and body of the athlete. In fact, gymnasts have been found to be more anxious when compared to athletes of different sports. Thus, finding ways to ameliorate the negative effects of anxiety on performance would be of benefit to gymnasts with high competitive anxiety. The aim of this project is to create a psychological skills handbook that gymnasts can use to help them with their competitive anxiety symptoms. This information may help athletes and coaches.

Advisor

Dr. David Tobar

Second Reader

Dr. Lynn Darby

Semester

Spring

Year

2023

Degree

M.Ed.

Program

Kinesiology

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