Paper
You will be writing a paper on a mutually agreed upon sport psychology topic. The paper will be 8-10 double-spaced pages in length (not including references OR title page). You will be expected to address three areas about the concept:
1. What is it (i.e., a definition)
2. What does the research say about the concept (i.e., a focused literature review)?
3. How is it used (i.e., a practical example of the concept)?
APA style is expected.
The paper is worth a maximum of 100 points. You’ll be graded on reasonable thoroughness, clarity, and how well you apply the concept in your example. Some topics have a large research base so, when you let me know what you want to write about, we may need to work on focusing the paper so that you don’t end up trying to write a thesis for the class.
How to benefit from music in sports and exercise.**********
dissociation
I’m Not Really Running: Flow, Dissociation, and Expertise
music effect on human stress-
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3734071/
https://www.stack.com/a/7-gadgets-star-athletes-cant-live-without?slide=1
http://www.imedpub.com/articles/the-effect-of-motivational-music-during-exercise-on-the-performance-of-elitefemale-swimmers.pdf
https://www.flotrack.org/articles/5017792-thinking-on-the-run-association-vs-dissociation
https://www.betterfencer.com/articles/pump-up-the-jams
——athletes that listen to music before a game
https://www.betterfencer.com/articles/pump-up-the-jams
How can Music Improve Athletic Performance? – (Dissociation)
Bekah Voss
University of Alabama Huntsville
KIN 463 – Psychological Aspects of Sport
November 7, 2018 How can Music Improve Athletic Performance? – (Dissociation)
By Bekah Voss
Music has quickly become an integral part of athletic performance and can be observed throughout multiple sports today. Before basketball games, teams are usually seen warming up to a variety of songs they have personally pre-selected for the occasion. Similarly, collegiate football players are frequently seen walking into stadiums wearing headphones that are blaring their music of choice in preparation for the games that lie ahead. In each of these cases, players are said to be “getting in the zone,” or mentally preparing themselves for the competition. This product of mental preparedness can be achieved in numerous ways. Two ways in particular, have proven to be two of the most prevalently used psychological techniques in athletics: one being dissociation and two being association. The main points that will be addressed throughout this paper will be the definition and technical aspects of dissociation, how dissociation is initiated through music, how it effects the individual versus a team, and will then conclude with findings observed in relevant research, including a case study, that can serve as evidence of its overall effectiveness on performance.
Dissociation in athletics is understood to be the mental process of tuning out all negative or painful bodily sensations. Dissociation is mentally taking one’s self out of the activity that one is currently doing, and centering focus on an unrelated matter. This technique is used to block out undesirable feelings, such as stress, anxiety, pain, or fear. The process of dissociation is commonly seen in comparison with association. Association is the psychological process of linking oneself to the action at hand. It is important to understand that while these terms may sound similar, they are very different, in that, dissociation is disconnecting and association is connecting. This disconnect can be extremely beneficial to athletes, and it can be achieved in many ways, and one of the most utilized of those ways is through music.
Music can potentially serve as an alternative focus for athletes, or a means of dissociation. It can mentally transport an athlete to another place in their mind, one that is contrary to the awareness of their current conditions. Music allows athletes to take on a new mental state that, in some ways, distracts from the current stressors acting on the body and gives them a alternative center of focus. Olympic gold medalist, Haile Gebrselassie, has been known to use the famous song, “Scatman,” by Scatman John to replace his thoughts and force him to focus on simply running faster. He separates himself from the competition, from the environment around him, and from the stressors around him, centering his thoughts on the technical beats of the song. In any sense, dissociation means detaching from one’s immediate surroundings. Detaching from these surroundings is what allows athletes to better prepare for their performances. With this disconnect, there is no room for negative reflection, leaving the individual with only positive thoughts that can lower perceived levels of effort.
Negative emotions or feelings are products of physical or psychological demands placed on an athlete. When theses demands occur, the process of stress begins. Once the individual perceives the stress, he or she then experiences psychological or physical responses to it. This forces a behavior from the individual, or in other words, it forces a reaction. That reaction can either make or break the individual who is performing. The more important the performance is, the higher the stress, therefore the higher need for an athlete to reduce that stress. These higher stress situations can then lead to increased anxiety. With a combination of both increased stress and anxiety, this sets up the athlete for a potential catastrophe or a rapid decline in performance.
To prevent such disasters, it has been found that once appropriate levels of dissociation have been achieved, athletes can sink into a consistent mode of “autopilot,” or “flow.” This means that they are completely involved in an activity without external distractions, which leads to effortless movement and an unmindful transformation of time. A disconnect between the two factors may occur however, when dissociation becomes an issue of inappropriate focus, which may then lead to a lack of flow. However, more research is required to better understand the extensive relationship between flow and dissociation. It has been found that one of the main factors contributing to the prevention of flow from occurring, is worrying too much about what is going on around the individual. This issue can be eliminated through music-related dissociation. Although these effects have only been examined in relation to the individual, it may also have a significant impact on a team as a whole.
Dissociation through music may also affect a team dynamic. For example, athletes who are part of a team, such as basketball players, may be more inclined to use associative techniques rather than dissociative, simply because dissociation focuses more on the individual rather than the team. Yet, in some sports, such as track and field, performance is more centered toward the individual, in which a disconnect from the competition is seen to be more beneficial. However, there are still elite individuals who choose to utilize music as a means of eliminating anxiety or nervousness, putting them in a calming or more serious state. Olympic athletes such as Mohammed Ahmed, Aaron Brown, and Bianca Farella all have a specific set of songs they choose to play that forces them to visualize their goals prior to performance. Similar examples of athletic performance being enhanced with the dissociative techniques of music can be seen within the pre-game rituals of major athletes. Former NFL Defensive Player of the year, Von Miller said that music keeps his mind “off all the things that are going to happen” (Renck, 2014). Even 200-meter, silver medallist Darren Campbell says that he listens to a “Rendezvous” by Craig David, that forces him into his “own little world” before a race, so that he is not distracted by his immediate surroundings (Thompson, 2011). More specific examples can be seen in research that has been conducted regarding the utilization of such mental techniques.
Relevant research has been found regarding dissociation through music within athletes, yet there have both positive and negative results. It is important to understand that music can affect people differently, and therefore, people can use music to boost their performance in different ways. The purpose of using music as a means of dissociation within sports, is to center one’s focus on something other than the uncomfortable sensations the body is experiencing during or related to exercise. As stated by researchers Rad and Hafezi (2013), music has shown to improve the overall psychological state of athletes. Musical dissociation can result in lower rates of perceived exertion during intense exercise, meaning that the physical task at hand seemed easier to complete. Not only that, but it was also found that participants felt more calm and less exhausted once dissociative techniques were introduced (Mohammadzadeh, Tartibiyan, & Ahmadi, 2008).
It has been stated by researchers Lind, Welch, and Ekkekakis (2009) that dissociation is more commonly used in training, rather than performance. Although this may be the case in some instances, an athlete cannot have an improved performance without training. Therefore, without the dissociation athletes may use during training, there would not be an enhanced result in competition. In support of improved training, sport and exercise psychologist at Brunel University in London, Dr. Costas Karageorghis, believes that music has a significantly positive relationship with athletic performance, including training. He found that music can directly effect an athlete’s brain wave activity. More specifically, he found that it can increase the brain’s alpha activity, which is commonly associated with relaxation and contemplation. This increase in alpha waves is what allows athletes to enter into a more dissociative state and, perform on what he likes to refer to as “autopilot”. Karageorghis believes that this state of being “in the zone” that is experienced by athletes, is crucial to peak performance. He firmly supports the idea that music actually “helps to induce” this zone state (Thompson, 2011).
However, in contrast to previous statements, dissociation has also been found to have little to no effect on performance. Though there have been multiple studies that have examined the positive effects of music on an athlete’s psychological state, in regard to their physical state, studies have reported that there were no significant changes in absolute heart rate or blood pressure following dissociation techniques (Rad & Hafezi, 2013). Similarly, Smith et al. (1995) found that in experienced distance runners, less dissociation methods were used than alternative methods.
This research suggests that although music may contribute to an increase in the psychological state of the individual, it may not contribute as much to the individual’s physical state. However, this does not mean that music has no effect on performance, rather that it has no effect on the physicality of the athlete. Not only that, but research has proven that different kinds of music can effect people differently. Sometimes, athletes might not even be at all affected by music. However, it is evident that dissociative techniques brought on with music can lead to an improved mental state, which can then improve an athlete’s performance.
A specific case example of an Olympic athlete utilizing music as a means of dissociation prior to performance may serve to better represent the positive affects of this method. Boxing has quickly become a highly funded and well-watched sport in today’s culture. The sport alone is very interesting, consisting of numerous levels of competition and athletes as well. Unfortunately for these athletes, it can be an extremely stressful sport, both physically and mentally. There is an inherent danger that surrounds every competition, which can then create more stressful environments for the athletes. The amount of stress that can accompany competing at the Olympic level can be assumed to be incredibly high. In all cases, these men and women are forced to find ways to mentally prepare themselves for competition, Super heavyweight, Olympic Champion boxer, Audley Harrison chooses to listen to Japanese classical music before his matches. He claims that the music allows him to disconnect from his anger and achieve a calmer state of mind (Rogers, 2017). This is another way of saying he is taking part in the mental process of dissociative thinking. Through this tranquil state of mind he creates, he becomes better prepared for his matches. This process allow him to enter into performances with more confidence, which he says allows him to perform more efficiently.
An informal example of dissociation through music benefitting athletic performance can be seen in my own personal routine as an athlete. As a collegiate track and field athlete, I was recruited out of high school to compete in specific events for my sport. These events include javelin, triple jump, long jump, and high jump. In javelin, I fit in relatively well, in reference to my body style. However, when I compete in any jumping events, I quite literally stand out. If one were to open Google and search images for “female collegiate high jumper,” the images that would be found would all be similar in that they all relatively be: a tall female, with a very lean muscular body tone, and long legs. The jump events are dominated by women with this build. Unfortunately for me, I have never taken a physical form such as that in my entire life. I am a smaller, thicker muscled, shorter-legged individual. Because of this, I get more anxious prior to collegiate performances, feeling as if I am out of place in my own events. This is where music saves the day. When I put in my earbuds and hit play on my favorite workout playlist, my mind becomes calm. I no longer focus on the six-foot tall, Amazon women that surround me, I disconnect, forcing out all negative thoughts and emotions that are fighting so hard to be felt. I focus on the beat of the music and the words of a song. In these specific cases, I use music to take me to another place as I warm up. When performance time arrives, I am already in a positive and controlled mental state. In contrast, there have been meets that have had much more heavily enforced rules and regulations that do not allow athletes to use any mobile devices on the field. In these cases, my performance suffers. I get distracted by my competitors, and I focus on the negative aspects of competition. I also find myself associated with my form or my current injuries, allowing the anxiety associated with these factors to conquer my thoughts. This creates a toxic mental environment for my mind which impacts my warm-up, my confidence, and in the end, my performance. Music prevents my performance from suffering, in that it allows me to detach from the non-beneficial aspects of my environment and forces me into a calmer state of mental preparedness.
Dissociation can be best understood as a mental process utilized by athletes that allows them to attenuate their focus on something other than what is currently happening to them. Music has become a crucial part of this process, making it easier for athletes to employ. Although research may vary on the results dissociation through music can have on athletic performance, it can be determined that music alone can have dissociative affects on the individual. It can be beneficial to athletic performance individually, but may not be as effective when relating to team performances. These effects on the individual, in turn, promote the likelihood of improved achievement, due to the impact an individual’s psychological state can have on performance. Olympic silver medalist, Jason Rogers puts it perfectly into words by saying, “It’s not the exact song that drives an athlete’s performance. Rather it’s the emotional state that comes along with the song that is important.” Therefore, it can be concluded the dissociative thinking can occur as a result of listening to music prior to or during performance, and this result allows athletes to achieve a better state of mind for competition. Research also supports this with evidence showing reduced signs of fatigue or perceived exertion rates. With this improved state of mind that is achieved through dissociation with music, athletes are able to accomplish greater results due to a calmer center of focus, reduced anxiety and stress, and an enhanced sense of mental preparedness for their performances.