What is Performance Psychology?
There’s more to the mental side than just healing the hurt. It’s time to grow the good, too.
What comes to mind when you hear the word “psychology”?
For many, it conjures up movie scenes of patients lying on leather couches confessing their deepest fears. For others, it’s a reminder of an intro to psych class in college which was full of interesting facts, but useless day-to-day.
While psychology is well known as the field that we turn to when something is wrong with the mind, the reality is that healing the mind is only the tip of the iceberg. As this young science has developed, researchers have found that there are more proactive, growth oriented ways to utilize it.
Maybe nobody framed it better than a pioneer of the positive psychology movement, Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi:
“Up to now, the main contribution of this fledgling science has been to discover how past events shed light on present behavior. . . but there is another way that the discipline of psychology can be put to use. It is in helping answer the question; given that we are who we are, with whatever hang-ups and repressions, what can we do to improve our future?”
Since this question was asked, the field of psychology has developed all sorts of different arms through which it can help people beyond just healing their mental health. This includes the field of performance psych.
Performance psychology represents a shift from viewing psychology solely as a means to heal mental health issues to harnessing its principles for proactive growth and improvement.
Imagine a scenario where an athlete consistently performs at the top of their game, a business executive excels in leadership and decision-making under pressure, or a musician delivers electrifying performances night after night. These achievements aren't just the result of talent or luck; they often involve a deep understanding and application of psychological principles that enable individuals to perform at their best consistently.
Performance psychology delves into the intricacies of human behavior, cognition, emotion, and physiology to uncover the keys to peak performance. It's not just about achieving success once but about sustaining excellence over time and enjoying the process along the way. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's insight captures this essence by highlighting the proactive nature of using psychology to enhance our future potential.
By definition, performance psychology is the study and application of psychological principles aimed at helping individuals perform consistently at the upper limits of their capabilities while also deriving greater satisfaction from the performance process itself (Portenga, Aoyagi, & Cohen, 2012, p. 9). This definition encompasses a wide array of activities and expertise that performance psychologists and consultants bring to the table.
Performance psychologists and consultants are highly trained professionals who specialize in:
Identification, Development, and Execution of Mental and Emotional Skills: They work with individuals to identify the mental and emotional skills necessary for excellence in their respective domains. This includes areas such as goal setting, focus and concentration, resilience, visualization, self-talk, and emotional regulation.
Understanding, Diagnosing, and Preventing Psychological Inhibitors: They delve into the psychological, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and psychophysiological factors that can hinder consistent and excellent performance. By understanding these inhibitors, they can develop strategies to prevent or mitigate their impact on performance.
Improving Performance Environments: They also focus on optimizing the performance environment to facilitate efficient skill development, consistent execution of tasks, and positive experiences for performers. This may involve aspects such as team dynamics, leadership structures, organizational culture, and performance feedback mechanisms.
In the end, performance psychology is about empowering individuals and teams to reach their full potential—not just on the field or stage, but in every aspect of life.
It’s about harnessing the power of the science to help you be more of who you want to be and do more of what you want to do.
Not only can performance psych help protect mental health, but give you a competitive edge and deepen your sense of wellbeing by increasing your propensity to think, feel, and do your best.
Ready to start the journey?
Whether you’re an athlete, creative, executive, or anywhere in between, if you’re committed to thinking, feeling, and doing your best, then we’re ready to help you take it to the next level.