Browsing by Subject "Exercise -- Psychological aspects"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    A Sound Mind in a Sound Body: The Psychological Benefits of Physical Exercise: The Effects of Exercise on Mood, Cognitive Functioning, and General Well-Being
    (2008) Saul, Southey; Compton, Rebecca J. (Rebecca Jean)
    Since the time of the ancient Greeks, physical exercise has been linked to intellectual abilities and mental health (Weinberg & Gould, 1995). The phenomenon often referred to as "runner's high," the elevation in mood following a bout of aerobic exercise, is only one example of the many psychological perks of physical exercise. Some people even believe in exercise addiction, as the absence of exercise has been associated with negative effects (Glass et al., 2004). Though the benefits of physical exercise exist in a broad spectrum of domains, this paper will focus specifically the psychological benefits concerning specific mood states, including depression and anxiety; various aspects of cognitive functioning; and general wellbeing and quality of life.
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    The Role of Motivational Orientation, Physical Self-Esteem and Relational Schemas in the Physical Self-Concept
    (2008) Dillon, Emily; Lilgendahl, Jennifer
    We examined the role of relational schemas, motivational orientation and self-esteem on the response to failure and self-defining memories in an athletic population. 67 college undergraduates were randomly divided into one of two conditions: failure alone or failure with a coach present. All participants were given the Physical Self Perception Profile to measure physical self esteem, the Exercise Self-Regulation Questionnaire to measure motivational orientation for physical activities. Participants were then asked to provide a response to an athletic failure and a self defining athletic memory. Failure responses and memories were then coded. Main effects of motivation emerged for the expression of guilt/shame/anxiety in the failure responses. Level of perseverance also displayed a marginal interaction effect. The most significance emerged from the correlations of motivation with the memory variables, especially intrinsic motivations. This supports the benefits of intrinsic motivations.
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    The Role of Relational Schemas, Motivational Orientation, and Physical Self-Esteem in the Physical Self-Concept
    (2008) Bromberger, Bianca; Lilgendahl, Jennifer
    The reasons why an individual is physically active and his or her physical self-esteem are intimately related to perceptions of others during physically active experiences. The current study examined how participants’ motivation orientation for physical activity and physical self-esteem interacted with relational schemas for a significant other in an authority position with regards to a physical activity. The study consisted of two portions: an experimental section in which participants’ were asked to write about their anticipated thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in response to a physical failure in the presence of a coach or the same experience when alone. In the second section, participants were asked to provide a self-defining memory of a physically active experience. Qualities of these anticipated reactions and memories were correlated with participants’ levels of physical self-esteem and motivational orientation, but failed to demonstrate any significant results. Though the hypotheses were not supported, several interesting correlations were observed and suggest fruitful future directions for research in this area of social psychology.