Serena Williams

Serena Williams

Overview: The final project for this course is a case study analysis of a real-world athlete who is having issues with his or her athletic performance. The case study will have a sports psychology focus—the role of emotions, the role of stress, different coping techniques, and so forth—and will focus on individual or multiple areas that an athlete would want to address to improve his or her performance. Prompt I. Case Introduction a. Provide general information on a current athlete, including his or her full name, age, gender, sport, current team affiliation (if applicable), and a summary of his or her achievements. b. Briefly describe background information of the athlete—any notable developmental concerns, educational issues, medical problems, or substance abuse that might be affecting the athlete’s performance. c. Evaluate the athlete’s current issues regarding his or her athletic performance. To what extent are psychological issues impacting his or her athletic performance? II. Evaluation a. To what extent are issues of personality at play in the athlete’s performance problems? Defend your claims with specific examples and major concepts in the field of sport psychology. b. To what extent are issues of motivation at play in the athlete’s performance problems? Defend your claims with specific examples and major concepts in the field of sport psychology. c. To what extent are issues of biopsychology at play in the athlete’s performance problems? Defend your claims with specific examples and major concepts in the field of sport psychology. d. To what extent are other aspects of psychological theories or concepts influencing the athlete’s athletic performance (e.g., addiction, disorders)? III. Plan of Action a. What specific recommendations should be made to improve the athlete’s psychological well-being? Relate each recommendation to a concept or theory in sport psychology and substantiate each recommendation using a scholarly resource. b. What motivational theories could one utilize to help improve the athlete’s performance? Substantiate each recommendation using a scholarly resource. c. How would the recommended plan of action help the athlete regain his or her elite status? Discuss potential improvements related to each problem identified in the case introduction. IV. Implications a. To what extent is your plan of action applicable to an “average” athlete struggling with a similar problem?