SELF-CONFIDENCE

Introduction

What is confidence? Come from?

How important is confidence?

What raises it? Lowers it?

Is over-confidence bad? Why?

Who normally suffers from insecurity?

ConfidenceSelf-Confidence: belief that you can successfully perform a desired behavior

Trait vs. StateTrait Confidence – stable level of confidence regardless of situationState Confidence – unstable, fluctuating levels depending on situation

*Helps to keep big picture mind

Self-fulfilling Prophecy: expecting something to happen (good or bad) sets off a chain of events causing it to happen.

i.e. “I’m going to fail this exam” so you put more pressure on yourself, lower your self-esteem leads to your failure

Dunning-Kruger Effect (1999) Why unskilled think they are skilled and vice versa

Positive Psychology– Dr. Martin Seligman (1990) – Book: Learned Optimism

Inverted-U TheoryLow Confidence

Anxiety Inability to concentrate Indecisiveness Low motivation Focus on shortcomings instead of strengths

Optimal Confidence (healthy confidence) You believe you can achieve your goals Maximum effort to achieve goals Perform up to your abilities Essential to reach full potential

Overconfidence (ego?) Arrogance Underestimate opponents Complacency/Reduction in effort when leading prepare less than you need to in order to perform Inability to deal with sudden success Believe you are better than you really are)

*Right confidence levels lead to best performance

Self-Efficacy TheorySelf-Efficacy (Self-esteem): Belief in one’s ability to perform a specific task (Bandura, Stanford)

» Situation-specific form of confidence» Explains how confidence is built.

1. Performance Accomplishments What have you done?

2. Vicarious Experiences (modeling) What have others done? (Roger Bannister Mile)

3. Verbal Persuasion Positive self-talk or support from others

4. Imaginal Experiences Imagery/Visualization (i.e. See yourself winning the race)

5. Physiological States Response to body functioning (i.e. racing heartbeat, butterflies) 6. Emotional States Positivity; In control of emotions

Self-Efficacy: Visualizing Goals

Confidence Drill

ExpectationsWhat are expectations and where do they come from?

Can high or low expectations affect confidence?

Are expectations a good or a bad thing?

MomentumWhat is momentum in sport? Exercise?

How does momentum get created?

What does it feel like when it’s with you? Against you?

Does momentum really exist? (Nick Saban view)

Momentum: an added or gained psychological power which changes interpersonal perceptions and influences an individuals performance

Hot Hand phenomenon – player just as likely to make or miss next shot regardless of how many previously made shots (different philosophies)

Self Talk“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein

Self-Talk: the internal dialogue you carry on with yourself, which includes your reactions, feelings, or instructions to your interactions

- Main source of confidence - ‘be your own biggest fan’- Can be used for skill acquisition- Comes from and is shaped by our own personal experiences- Can occur at any time- All have own unique experience; “Perception is Reality”- Communication – words tell you about thinking patterns-

Ex. “Who won?” (disassociation/association)

**Mind Control: Control it and use as an asset**Gut Instinct – combo of smarts+experience

Types of Self-Talk“I am the greatest…I said that even before I knew I was.” – Muhammad Ali

Positive (or motivational)• “I can do this” or “This is what you’ve trained for.”• Power of Positive Thinking (book) – Norman Vincent Peale

Negative• Worry/Lack of Confidence: “I’m wrong again”• Mind doesn’t understand the word don’t: “Don’t hit it into the water”• Somatic fatigue: “I’m tired”• AWARENESS – PAPER CLIP Example.

Neutral • Irrelevant thoughts: “What will I do later tonight?”

Instructional• Focus on technique (Ex. Keep elbow high, knees bent)• Emotional Control: “Just relax and take a deep breath”

*~3000 thoughts a day (Average 70% positive or neutral/30% negative)

Self-Talk ProcessPositive Psychology - Dr. Martin Seligman Learned Optimism (book):

“We have learned over the years that positive statements you make to yourself have little if any effect. What is crucial is what you think when you fail, using the power of ‘non-negative thinking’. Changing the destructive things you say to yourself when you experience the setbacks that life deals all of us is the central skill in optimism.“

1. Event OccursS1: Make a perceived mistakeS2: Make a perceived mistake

2. Immediate Self-talk/Thought Response:S1: “How could I mess that up, that should be automatic.”S2: “It’s over with, now it’s my turn to respond.”

3. Resulting BehaviorS1: Becomes frustrated and loses focus, continues to struggleS2: Resets self and moves on to next situation in control

*Awareness of thoughts is first step to controlling process.

Irrational Thinking1. Perfection is essential

– Blame themselves for every defeat and setback. – Causes fear-of-failure and putting too much pressure on themselves

2. Catastrophizing– Perfectionist tendencies– any failure is most humiliating thing ever

3. Worth depends on achievement– Personal worth is attached to accomplishments; – Leads to strong athletic identity

4. Personalization– Think everything people do or say is a about them– usually compare self to others.

5. Fallacy of fairness and ideal conditions– “It’s not fair what is happening to me.”

Reality = “Not fair” usually means not getting what one wants.

Irrational Thinking6. Blaming

– Blame every problem one someone else – “Everyone wants someone to blame”

7. Polarized thinking and labeling– View as black and white, good or bad, with no middle ground. – Leads to judgmental labeling (ex. Choker, loser).

8. One-trial generalizations– Conclusion based on a single incident or piece of evidence. – Ex. If something bad happens once, it will happen every time.

9. Shoulds’– Ironclad rules about how they and other people should act.

10. Emotional Reasoning– You believe that what you feel must be true automatically. – Ex. If you feel stupid and boring, then you are stupid and boring. – Generalizing emotions as personal characteristics rather than emotions

Self-Talk TechniquesCognitive Reframing - Create alternative perspectives of looking at the world

– Reframe situation from different p.o.v. (Ex. Car Wreck)

Focus Cues– Instructions and routines for process oriented actions; (Gymnast numbers/song)– Saying it to yourself forces your brain to focus on the present

Countering - Argue against the negative voice in your mind.“I have such bad luck.”…”You’re alive, healthy with plenty of great things in your life.”

Thought-stoppage (Self-Talk Log)

1. Awareness: Recognize a negative thought (Ex. Paperclip)2. Use a verbal thought stopping cue (Ex. The word “Stop!)3. Positive thought replacement4. Resulting Behavior

Affirmation Statements - Statements w/ positive attitudes about self

Cool Runnings: Affirmations

Summary“If you can change the way you think about things,

the things you think about will change.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

Everyone struggles with confidence issues, no matter how successful

Life is designed to destroy your confidence (Darwinism – only the strong survive)

A big ego doesn’t mean a confident person; The truly confident don’t need to say it

Built by endless practice and experience

Exhibited in different ways (body language, self-talk), always evolving

Our thoughts are with us 24/7, so be aware and be positive (break past patterns)

It is a process that gets easier to control over time