Date of Award
Spring 6-13-2014
Document Type
Masters Research Paper
Degree Name
M.A. in Sport & Performance Psychology
Organizational Unit
Graduate School of Professional Psychology
First Advisor
Artur Poczwardowski
Second Advisor
Jamie Shapiro
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Keywords
Diving, Mental toughness, High risk sport, Performance success
Abstract
Research focusing on mental toughness development and high risk sport is limited to one examination of elite gymnasts' perceptions. Coaches have acknowledged that mental toughness is important to performance success, while admitting they do not know effective development strategies. The aim of the current research is to address both these concerns by employing a grounded theory approach to ascertain elite diving coaches perceptions of mental toughness development and what mental toughness is. Seven diving coaches volunteered and were interviewed for an average of 49 minutes. They all coached an athlete that participated either in the world championships or Olympic games since 2008. Participants reported that mental toughness was the ability of a diver to perform a movement in a crucial moment that requires focus, extending beyond their comfort zone, overcoming fear, and never giving up. Mental toughness may not be the appropriate term due to its lack of multicultural sensitivity. Participants felt that dealing with adversity was something divers would have to constantly process. Mental toughness can be developed by the coach, the environment, or individual athlete. Unique attributes specific to divers were an awareness of self and a distinct level of knowing what the athlete was going to do. More research needs to be conducted to determine if these concepts can be generalized to other high risk sports. Future research could help establish a valid quantitative measure of mental toughness development.
Copyright Date
5-2014
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Aaron D'Addario
Provenance
Received from author
File Format
application/pdf
Language
English (eng)
Extent
45 pgs
File Size
376 KB
Recommended Citation
D'Addario, Aaron, "Expert Approaches to Mental Toughness Development in the High Risk Sport of Diving" (2014). Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects. 61.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/capstone_masters/61