What is stress?

‘A pattern of negative physiological states and psychological responses occurring in situations where people perceive threats to their well-being, which they may be unable to meet’

(Lazarus and Folkman 1984)

There are two types of stress, these are eustress and distress.  Eustress is known as 'good' stress because it has a positive effect.  Performers experiencing this stress seeks the thrill of the danger and enjoys the excitement and the feeling of satisfaction when its over.  Distress on the other hand, is known as 'bad' stress.  This is an extreme form of anxiety, nervousness, apprehension or worry as a result of a perceived inability to meet demands placed upon ourselves.

Stress Process

Stage One of the Stress Process Model is the demand (this can be physical or psychological).  For example the last penalty in a shoot-out, this could be physical as they are physically taking the penalty or it could be psychological as they need to mentally prepare for it.  This demand leads to Stage Two which is how the demand is perceived by the athlete, it can be seen as a challenge (positive perception) or as a threat (negative perception).   If the athlete perceives the demand as a challenge then they are more likely to be successful, in this example the athlete would see the demand as they are able to score, but they will be challenged by the goal keeper.  However, if the athlete perceives the demand as a threat they are less likely to be successful, in this example the athlete would feel they are unable to score, as the goal keeper is a threat to them.  Stage Three is increased arousal levels.  Those athletes who perceive the demand as positive will cause them to have eustress, this will increase their energy and motivation levels, preparing them physically and psychologically in order to face the demand.  However, athletes who perceive the demand as negative will cause them to have distress, this will increase worry, which will lead them to be unprepared to face the demand psychologically.  Finally, Stage Four is the outcome.  Athletes with eustress will lead to an increase in their performance, so in this case they would score the penalty.  Athletes with distress will lead to a decrease in their performance levels, in this case will lead to them not scoring the penalty.

Symptoms of stress

When the performer is in a situation which they perceive as threatening, their stress response is activated.  The way in which the athlete responds depends on how they perceived this threat, this response is controlled by the nervous system.  The nervous system is divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. 

The sympathetic nervous system controls the 'fight or flight' response, which provides the performer with the energy to either face the threat or run away from it.  This prepares the body for the situation by increasing heart/breathing rate, decreasing digestion, increasing pupil size so you are able to see more.  Heart rate will increase so that more blood is able to be sent to the working muscles and breathing rate increases to allow more oxygen to enter the body.

The parasympathetic nervous returns the body back to its normal state once the threatening situation is over, this is known as 'rest and digest'.  This causes heart/breathing rate to decrease back to resting, pupil will constrict and digestion will return back to normal. 

Causes of Stress

There are a variety of causes of stress, these are all specific to each individual.  Athletes in a similar situation will all have different responses to stress.  Stressors are the cause of stress, these are the changes in a sporting environment which cause stress, for example the crowd.

Internal stressors are the causes of stress which come from inside the performer.  For example, fatigue can cause the performer to not be able to perform at their best, motivation can also be an internal factor as it is psychological.

External Stressors are the causes of stress from outside of the body, from the environment.  These stressors can lead to the performer believing that they don't have the ability to meet the demands from the environment.  For example weather or traffic.

Occupational stressors are the causes of stress from work/education.  For example, exams or if you have a job but you need to revise or have too much homework.

Personal stressors are the causes of stress from the individuals personal life, for example if a family member passes away, or if you have a bad relationship.

Sport as a source of stress- Sport can also be a stressor as it can cause performers to feel stressed.  For example if you need to achieve a certain time to make it into the next competition in athletics.  Also, if you are competing in a final.  Another example, is if you are competing against someone of a similar ability as you.