A multiple case study investigation is reported in which emotions and performance were assessed within the probabilistic individual zone of optimal functioning (IZOF) model (Kamata, Tenenbaum,& Hanin, 2002) to develop idiosyncratic emotion-performance profiles. These profiles were incorporated into a psychological skills training (PST) intervention, with a focus on three emotional dimensions, that is, arousal, pleasantness, and functionality, and several psychological strategies employed during practice and competition. Two female varsity golfers at a major Division I university in the Southeast participated in the case study during the Spring 2002 season. The PST intervention resulted in enhanced emotional self-regulation skills and improved golf performance. Directions for future research into the IZOF model and implications for practical application of the model are discussed.
Apter, M. J. (1982). The experience of motivation: The theory of psychological reversal. London: Academic Press.
2.
Ballard, C. (2001, June 25). Candid open. Sports Illustrated, 94, 26-26.
3.
Beck, A. T.,& Weishaar, M. (1995). Cognitive therapy. In R. Corsini& D. Wedding (Eds.), Current psychotherapies(pp. 56-74). Itasca, IL: Peacock Publishers.
4.
Folkman, S., & Lazarus, R. (1980). An analysis of coping in a middle-aged community sample. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 21, 219-239.
5.
Gould, D., Hodge, K., Peterson, K.,& Giannini, J. (1989). An exploratory examination of strategies used by elite coaches to enhance self-efficacy in athletes. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 11, 128-140.
6.
Hanin, Y. L. (2000). An individualized approach to emotion in sport. In Y. L. Hanin (Ed.), Emotions in sport(pp. 65-90, 157-188). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
7.
Hanin, Y. L., & Syrja, P. (1996). Predicted, actual and recalled affect in Olympic-level soccer players: Idiographic assessments on individualized scales. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 18, 325-335.
8.
Hardy, L., & Fazey, J. (1987, September). The inverted-U hypothesis: A catastrophe for sport psychology?Paper presented at the annual conference of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity, Vancouver, Canada.
9.
Hardy, L., Jones, G., & Gould, D. (1999). Understanding psychological preparation for sport: Theory and practice of elite performers. Chichester, UK: Wiley.
10.
Hull, C. L. (1943). Principles of behavior. New York: Appleton.
11.
Jacobsen, E. (1929). Progressive relaxation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
12.
Kamata, A., Tenenbaum, G., & Hanin, Y. L. (2002). Individual zone of optimal functioning (IZOF): Aprobabilistic estimation. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 24, 189-208.
13.
Martens, R., Burton, D., Vealey, R., Bump, L.,& Smith, D. (1990). The development of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory–2 (CSAI-2). In R. Martens, R. S. Vealey, & D. Burton (Eds.), Competitive anxiety in sport(pp. 117-190). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
14.
Murphy, S. M. (1990). Models of imagery in sport psychology: A review. Journal of Mental Imagery, 14, 153-172.
15.
Murphy, S. M. (1994). Imagery interventions in sport. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 26, 486-494.
16.
Murphy, S. M.,& Jowdy, D. (1992). Imagery and mental practice. In T. S. Horn (Ed.), Advances in sport psychology(pp. 222-250). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
17.
Raedeke, T. D., & Stein, G. L. (1994). Felt arousal, thoughts, feelings and ski performance. The Sport Psychologist, 8, 360-375.
18.
Russell, J. A., Weiss, A., & Mendelsohn, G. A. (1989). Affect grid: A single-item scale of pleasure and arousal. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 493-502.
19.
Thomas, P. R., Murphy, S.,& Hardy, L. (1999). Test of performance strategies: Development and preliminary validation of a comprehensive measure of athletes’psychological skills. Journal of Sports Sciences, 17, 697-711.
20.
Weinberg, R., Grove, R., & Jackson, A. (1992). Strategies for building self-efficacy in tennis players: A comparative analysis of Australian and American coaches. The Sport Psychologist, 6, 3-13.
21.
Yerkes, R. M., & Dodson, J. D. (1908). The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit formation. Journal of Comparative Neurology of Psychology, 18, 459-482.
22.
Yin, R. (1994). Case study research: Design and methods(2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
23.
Zinsser, N., Bunker, L.,& Williams, J. (1998). Cognitive techniques for building confidence and enhancing performance. In J. Williams (Ed.), Applied sport psychology: Personal growth to peak performance(pp. 115-133). Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.
