Introducing Sport Psychology

Dr Arnold LeUnes is Professor of Psychology at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. His main teaching areas are sport psychology and abnormal psychology, and his research focuses almost totally on sport-related issues. He has written a popular textbook on sport psychology as well as a reference work on psychological testing in sport psychology, published over 100 journal articles, and made well over 100 conference presentations. He is married to Judy, an animal rights and teacher advocate, and has six children ages 22 to 48 and nine grandchildren.

About the author iii Author's note iv 1. The field of sport psychology: an overview 1 2. Reinforcement and punishment 10 3. Arousal, anxiety, and their assessment 25 4. Treatment of sport anxiety 35 5. Optimism in sports and exercise 45 6. Mental toughness in sports 56 7. Attribution theory and locus of control 67 8. Leadership, group cohesion, and audience effects 76 9. Team building and goal setting 89 10. Aggression and violence in sports 105 11. Psychological assessment 117 12. Risk-sport athletes, injured athletes, black athletes 132 13. Youth sport 146 14. Women in sport 156 15. Exercise and fitness 169 Appendix A: A brief history of sport psychology 185 Appendix B: Prominent figures in sport and exercise psychology 188 References 190 Index 207