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Anxiety in Sport

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Sport and Exercise Psychology

Abstract

Although many different emotions colour our experience of sport, on and off the pitch, anxiety sticks out because of its ubiquitous presence. Focusing on anxiety as a “state”, i.e. a momentary feeling, this chapter uses a cognitive model of emotion to develop an understanding of anxiety in sport. Triggers of anxiety in sport are identified, and the cognitive processes leading to the emotional experience, including body, mind and behaviour, are described. This chapter further describes a core topic of sport psychology, the examination of the relationship between anxiety and performance and the mechanisms underlying this relationship. Understanding of the processes involved in the anxiety experience allows the development and application of strategies to regulate and manage anxiety. This chapter concludes with showing how sport and physical activity may help persons to better deal with anxiety, anxiety disorders and stress.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    Felix Ehrlenspiel

  2. Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Christopher Mesagno

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  1. Universität Konstanz, Constance, Germany

    Julia Schüler

  2. University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Mirko Wegner

  3. Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Henning Plessner

  4. Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    Robert C. Eklund

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Ehrlenspiel, F., Mesagno, C. (2023). Anxiety in Sport. In: Schüler, J., Wegner, M., Plessner, H., Eklund, R.C. (eds) Sport and Exercise Psychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-03921-8_12

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