SOCIAL INFLUENCES 0N SPORTING BEHAVIOURS

The process where by people acquire the rules of behavior and the systems of beliefs and attitudes that equip a person to function effectively as a member of society.

(Durkin 1995)

What is Socialization

There are two types of socialisation.

Primary Socialisation;

Primary socialisation is used to mean socialisation by the family, especially by our parents.

Types of Socialisation

Secondary socialisation is used to mean socialisation by the friends, teachers and in the case of young athletes , coaches and team mates are also include.

Secondary Socialisation

The quality of relationship between the child and the socialising agent is crucial because without this the child will not seek to identify with the adult and is thus less likely to be influenced by them.

one of the most critical socialising

influences on serious participants in sport, whether children or adults, is their coach.

Coaching is more a matter of dealing with people than of disseminating knowledge.

( Terry 1991)

Coaching and Socialisation

Triandis (1991) divided culture into two categories.

1. Primarily Individualist; Cultures such as Europe and North America

place much more emphasis on the individual.

2. Primarily Collectivist;More collectivist cultures such as China and Japan place a great deal of emphasis on groups.

Culture and Socialisation

Culture differences in socialisation can also be seen in sport related attitudes e.g. towards cooperation, competition, achievement and winning.

Culture Differences in Socialisation

Group;Two or more persons who interact with one another such that each person influences and is influenced by each other person.

(Moorhead and Griffin 1998)

Groups and Teams

Team; A small number of people

with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, common performance goals and an approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.

(Moorhead and Griffin 1998)

1. Forming Stage;

The group members get to know each other and basic rules for the conduct of group members are established.

Five stages of group formation

2. Storming Stage;

Members compete for status in the group and group members take on different roles.

3. Norming Stage;The group settles down

and group members develop attachments t each other and to the group.

4. Performing Stage;The group becomes

oriented towards the task they have come together for and begins to achieve their goals.

5. Adjourning Stage;

The task of the group has been accomplished and the group drifts apart.

The term social facilitation describes the ways in which our performance can be affected by the presence of others.

Under some circumstances the presence of other people enhances our performance. However under other circumstances our effort and our ability to make decisions can be adversely affected by others.

Social Facilitation

Co-action effects occur when other people are carrying out the same task alongside you, as takes place in a race, or when training with friends or team mates.

Audience effects occur when we are being watched.

Co-action and audience effects

Zajonc (1965) proposed that the reason why the presence of others affects performance is because it directly raises arousal levels.

Drive theory proposes that heightened arousal produces a better performance when the task is simple and/or the performer is an expert.

Drive Theory (Audience Effects)

Heightened arousal produces a worse performance, however, when the task is complex or the performer is a novice. It follows therefore that the presence of others will lead to a better performance for expert athletes but a worse performance for novices.

Cont…

Cottrell (1968) offered an alternative to Zajone’s drive theory to explain why the presence of others might lead to increased arousal.

Evaluation-apprehension theory

In evaluation-apprehension theory, the presence of others causes an increase in our arousal because we feel that we are about to be evaluated. If we are competent in the task to be observed then we are likely to feel

Confident and the effect of the observer on the performance will be confident. If we are a novice, however, then the anxiety that results from the belief that we are about to be judged and found wanting increases our arousal levels and so spoils our performance.

Cont…