Arousal,Stress, and

Anxiety

Arousal,Stress, and

Anxiety

Is Arousal the Same as Anxiety?

Arousal is a general physiological and psychological activation, varying in intensity along a

continuum. Anxiety is a negative emotional state with feelings of

worry, nervousness, and apprehension associated with

activation of the body.

Defining Arousal, Stress, and Anxiety

Trait

States

Measuring Arousal and Anxiety

Physiological signs (heart rate, respiration, skin conductance, biochemistry)

Global and multidimensional self-report surveys

e.g. Sport Anxiety Scale (trait anxiety)e.g. Sport Competition Anxiety Test (trait)e.g. Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2

Trait and StateAnxiety Relationship

High versus low trait anxious people usually have more state anxiety in highly evaluative situations.

Stress and the Stress Process

Stress: A substantial imbalance between physical and psychological demands placed on an individual and his or her response capability under conditions where failure to meet demands has important consequences.

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The Stress Process

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

Stress and Stress Process Implications

Intervene during any of the four stages of the stress process or cycle.

Viewing stress as a process, not a discrete entity

Sources of Stress and Anxiety

Event importance

Trait anxiety

Self-esteem

Situationalsources

Personal sources

Social physique anxiety

Uncertainty

How Arousal and AnxietyAffect Performance

Drive theory

Inverted–U hypothesis

Individualized zones of optimal functioning

Multidimensional anxiety theory

How Arousal and AnxietyAffect Performance

Catastrophe model

Reversal theory

Anxiety direction and intensity

Significance of all these views

Drive Theory

Inverted–U Hypothesis

Individualized Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF) Hypothesis

Catastrophe Model

Catastrophe Model

Reversal Theory

How arousal affects performance depends on an individual’s interpretation of his or her arousal level.

Arousal can be interpreted as pleasant/excitement or as unpleasant/anxiety.

Arousal interpreted as pleasant facilitates performance, and arousal interpreted as unpleasant hurts performance.

Anxiety Direction and Intensity

An individual’s interpretation of anxiety symptoms is important for understanding the anxiety-performance relationship.

To understand the anxiety-performance relationship, both the intensity (how much anxiety one feels) and direction (a person’s interpretation of anxiety as being facilitating or debilitating to performance) must be considered.

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Anxiety Direction and Intensity

Viewing anxiety as facilitative leads to superior performance.

Some support has been found for this view.

Significance of All the Arousal–Performance Views

**Arousal is multifaceted**

Arousal and state anxiety do not always have a negative effect on performance— they can be facilitative or debilitative depending on the interpretation.

Some optimal level of arousal leads to peak performance, but the optimal levels of physiological activation and arousal-related thoughts (worry) are not the same.

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Significance of All the Arousal–Performance Views

Combination of a.) physiological arousal and b.) arousal interpretation are more important than actual levels of each.

It is doubtful that the optimal level of arousal is always at the midpoint of the arousal scale.

Why Arousal and AnxietyInfluence Performance

Increased muscle tension and coordination difficultiesAttention and concentration changes:

Narrowing of attention

Shift to dominant style

Attend to inappropriate cues

Why Arousal Influences Performance

Attentional narrowing

Implications for Practice

Identify optimal combinations of arousal-related emotions needed for best performance.

Recognize how personal and situational factors interact to influence arousal, anxiety, and performance.

Implications for PracticeInteractional Model of Anxiety

Implications for PracticeRecognize arousal and state anxiety signs (feeling ill, dazed,muscle tension etc.)

Tailor coaching strategies to individuals:

Different strokes for different folks.

Sometimes arousal and state anxiety must be reduced, other times maintained, and other times facilitated.

Develop performers’ confidence.

Recognize Symptoms of Arousal and State Anxiety

Cold, clammy hands

Constant need to urinate

Profuse sweating

Negative self-talk

Dazed look in eyes

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Cotton (dry) mouth

Constantly sick

Difficulties sleeping

Recognize Symptoms of Arousal and State Anxiety

Feel ill

Headache

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Recognize Symptoms of Arousal and State Anxiety

Increased muscle tension

Butterflies in stomach

Inability to concentrate

Consistently perform better in nonevaluative situations