Sport and Exercise Psychology: A Critical Introduction

Although sport is played with the body, it is won in the mind. Inspired by this idea, the second edition of this popular textbook provides a comprehensive critical introduction to sport and exercise psychology – a discipline that is concerned with the theory and practice of helping athletes to do their best when it matters the most.

The book is organized into four sections. Part one investigates the nature, foundations and current status of the discipline. Part two reviews the latest research findings on motivation, anxiety, concentration, mental imagery and expertise in athletes. Part three examines group processes and team dynamics. Finally, part four explores exercise behaviour and the psychology of injury rehabilitation. Each chapter contains specially designed critical thinking exercises to encourage the student to explore the deeper issues, and also features an invaluable list of suggestions for independent research projects by students. The text has been extensively re-written and updated with new material to take account of hot topics such as neuroscience and motor imagery, as well as issues such as ‘grunting’ in tennis, the psychology of penalty shootouts, mindfulness training as a concentration technique, the effects of music on physical activity, and ‘exer-gaming’ – the use of computer games to increase physical activity and exercise.

Written in a lively, accessible style, the book is brimful of vivid contemporary examples and insights from the world’s leading athletes, to provide a compelling bridge between theory and practice for undergraduate and postgraduate students of sport psychology, health psychology, sport science, physical education, kinesiology and leisure management.

Instructors who adopt the book will be able to access a wealth of online teaching resources.

Aidan P. Moran is a Professor of Cognitive Psychology and Director of the Psychology Research Laboratory in University College Dublin. A Fulbright Scholar, he has written fifteen books and many scientific papers on cognitive processes such as mental imagery and attention (including eye-tracking) in athletes. He is the Inaugural Editor-in-Chief of the International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology (IRSEP; Taylor & Francis, Abingdon).