Psychological Theories
These are theories that provide the basis for understanding human development, thoughts, and behaviors. They are created through gathered evidence and research (experiments, longitudinal, and evaluations), modified and refined through findings to describe specific actions and predict future behaviors. Many existing models and theories have been proposed by various researchers to explore the guiding concepts and principles on human development and behavior (Wright, O’Halloran & Stukas, 2016). Over time, these theories have evolved due to several emerging perspectives like functionalism, structuralism, behaviorism, psychoanalysis, humanism, and cognitivism into an independent discipline that provides an extensive understanding of human thoughts and behavior. Other theories exist from the growth of particular qualities happening through a lifetime (Macnamara, Moreau & Hambrick, 2016). A good theory draws from observation empiricism, and logic induction of collected evidence through repeated testing in aspects of a natural world of human behavior.
Cognitive and Self-Efficacy Theory
Self-efficacy involves an individual’s assessment of their capabilities to achieve a certain performance level, for example, extending an extra repetition or lifting a more massive load. Self-efficacy applies to specific situations; therefore, it varies from a single training or exercise but minimal in swimming and running. Social cognitive theory creates a framework for discerning the impacts of situational influences and personal experiences of a person’s beliefs on their competency and abilities to execute behaviors that cause desirable outcomes significantly applied to condition and strength contexts to comprehend an athlete’s performance effectively. Extensive research also indicates that derivative experience impacts an individual’s judgment on ability (Feltz & Oncu, 2014). Influences that significantly impact an athlete’s performance include physiological states and verbal persuasion, for example, social agents and coaches’ encouragement and pep talks during training. Since athletes participating in conditioning and strength training regard verbal persuasion content from trainers and coaches, statements supporting competency and autonomy promote progression towards personal goals by increasing persistence, enjoyment, and performance improvement. Physiological states like anxiety, autonomic stress, self-confidence, and stress also impact individuals’ perception of their ability to accomplish various behaviors effectively. For example, anxious and stressed athletes tend to underperform.
Applying Self-Efficacy and confidence to Strength and Conditioning
Self-efficacy has immense impacts on self-regulation, which involves preserving internalized and integrated self-control by an individual. It also affects discerned performing intentions, motivations, continued behaviors, satisfaction effects, and performance. A person with high self-efficacy and confidence is more likely to commit to tasks, invest time in tasks, show interests in various tasks, resist failure and difficulties, and commit to solving problems (Van Der Roest, Kleiner & Kleiner, 2017). In social cognitive theory, outcomes (behavioral and psychological) impact behaviors associated with goal pursuit; repetitions and techniques, affective outcomes; emotions from behavior performance and attribution; luck, and task difficulty. Behavioral outcomes include effort, choice, and persistence—efforts related to focus and energy and individual direct towards a task. The choice consists of decisions to avoid or approach a behavior. Persistence shows how long a behavior continues.
Social agents, including trainer partners, trainers, and coaches, play an essential role in promoting successful performance. Therefore, they are effectively poised to facilitate the athlete’s self-efficacy via encouragement and motivational pep talks. Critical verbal persuasion should integrate other information sources outlined in social cognitive theories like vicarious experiences, previous performance, illusion imagery, and other theories associated with the self-determination theory (Weinberg & Gould, 2014). Based on the impacts of outcome beliefs on behavior responses, high self-efficacy levels in participating in a specific behavior create desirable outcomes. Also, trainers and coaches offer supportive inspiration that promotes self-efficacy when athletes experience training fatigue and muscle tearing that decrease performance and commitment.
Research findings for the Application of Self-Efficacy Theory to Behavior Change in Condition and Strength Training.
The adoption of self-confidence and self-efficacy in a broad research context indicates its essential role in strength and conditioning training. Evidence suggests that self-efficacy relates to firm performance and can be controlled through expressions of confidence, performance feedback, and a person’s ability to improve future performance (Wright, O’Halloran & Stukas, 2016). Further research indicates that higher self-efficacy is associated with better form and more extended training. Individuals possessing high self-efficacy levels express good quality in terms of speed and form repetitions than intervals completed by those with lower self-efficacy. To assist athletes with lower self-efficacy levels, it is crucial to adopt interventions like athlete-coach interactions that improve performance.
Based on extensive research, Weinberg & Gould (2014) indicate that derivative experience positively influences various sports performances like weight lifting, swimming, and running. Further, a comprehensive analysis by (Van Der Roest, Kleiner & Kleiner (2017) on self-efficacy provides relevant insights into the impacts of self-efficacy on exercise and sports behavior, including condition and strength training. In their conducted narrative review, 25 of 29 carried out tests indicated a significant association between sports performance and self-efficacy.
Research findings on the application of self-efficacy in performance involve choices, patterns, persistence, and efforts that essentially contribute to performance. Based on the results, efficacy beliefs enable athletes to select practical performance strategies, determine shifting match conditions, predict opponents’ actions, manage pressure, apply visualization, manage distractions, handle setbacks, and make in moment decisions (Wright, O’Halloran & Stukas, 2016). Therefore the association between an individual’s performance outcomes and efficacy performance beliefs is complex, and efficacy beliefs should not be the only indicator for performance.
Summary
The social cognitive theory (SCT), the theory of planned behavior (TPB), and self-determination theory (SDT) have been employed to understand and predict behaviors related to strength and conditioning training in sports. However, self-determination theory is recommended in this context because it supports the provision of an athlete’s psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. This promotes autonomous motivation by enhancing conditioning and strength training into their behaviors, causing a positive impact on persistence, performance, and well-being (Macnamara, Moreau & Hambrick, 2016). Nonetheless, trainers and coaches should understand the significance of their roles in impacting athletes’ well-being and behavior and utilize the wide range of behavioral change strategies from the self-determination theory, the theory of planned behavior, and social cognitive theory.
Conclusion
The social cognitive theory offers a wide range of techniques for establishing behavioral change that can be utilized by trainers and coaches to aid athletes to adopt a regular training routine. The theory suggests that self-efficacy implementation promotes the increase in persistence and improves performance in condition and strength training. It also proposes that autonomy support is critical in developing autonomous motivation, which associates with various adaptive outcomes in adult competitive sports, including the athlete’s well-being and behavioral persistence.
References
Feltz, D. L. & Oncu, E. (2014). Self-confidence and self-efficacy. In Papaioannou, A. G. & Hackfort, D.: Routledge Companion to Sport and Exercise Psychology: Global Perspectives and Fundamental Concepts
Macnamara, B. N., Moreau, D., & Hambrick, D. Z. (2016). The relationship between deliberate practice and performance in sports: A meta-analysis. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 11(3), 333-350.
Van Der Roest, D., Kleiner, K., & Kleiner, B. (2017). Self-Efficacy: The Biology Of Confidence. Global Education Journal, 2017(1).
Weinberg, R. S., & Gould, D. (2014). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology. Human Kinetics.
Wright, B. J., O’Halloran, P. D., & Stukas, A. A. (2016). Enhancing self-efficacy and performance: an experimental comparison of psychological techniques. Research quarterly for exercise and sport, 87(1), 36-46.