Anxiety

Question 1

Define anxiety

Give an example

Answer 1

Anxiety - negative emotional state associated with stress/ over arousal

e.g. fear of failure

Question 1

Define anxiety

Give an example

Answer 1

Anxiety - negative emotional state associated with stress/ over arousal

e.g. fear of failure

Question 2

Describe Trait Anxiety

Answer 2

• Innate anxiety
• Stable/ enduring anxiety
• General predisposition to become anxious

Question 3

Describe Competitive Trait Anxiety

Answer 3

Performers only become anxious in competive situations

Question 4

Describe State Anxiety

Give an example

Answer 4

Situation specific anxiety

e.g. a confident perfomer that is weak at racquet sports

Question 5

What are the cognative responses to anxiety?

Answer 5

• Nervousness
• Self doubt/ negative thoughts
• Worry/ apprehension

Question 6

What are the somatic responses to anxiety?

Answer 6

• Increased pusle/ adrenaline
• Increased respiritory rate
• Increased blood pressure
• Tension/ headaches
• Sweating/ clammy hands
• Butterflies/ feeling sick

Question 7

What is the zone of optimal functioning (ZOF)?

Answer 7

ZOF - When a performers level or arousal/ anxiety is at the optimum level, they will give thier best performance

Question 8

What are the charecteristics of a performer “in the zone”?

Answer 8

• Performer is fully focused - e.g. performer blocks out crowd noise
• Performer can focus on relevent cues and ignore irrelevant cues/ cue utilisation
• Performance appears effortless/ automatic
• Performer is confident/ experiences a peak flow experience - e.g. performer raises their game facing a challenge
• Performer is in control of emotions

Question 9

Describe the differences in the ZOF between performers

Answer 9

• The ZOF is different for each performer
• Some performers respond positively to pressure/ stress
• ZOF is lower for introverts/ higher for extroverts
• Response to anxiety is linked to sensitivity of Reticular Activating System (RAS)