Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Vincent Van Gogh 3.1
Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch artist who was not only known for his masterpieces, but for his eccentricities and mental breakdowns. Charles Stewart Roberts argued that Vincent Van Gogh’s profound conscience troubled him throughout his life and ultimately led to his suicide at the age of thirty seven. Through a brief account of Van Gogh’s life and other various methods, Roberts was able to develop and support his argument effectively.
Roberts began the article by discussing letters that Van Gogh wrote to his brother over a period of twenty years. He compared these letters to documents written by famous historical figures such as Leonardo da Vinci and Benvenuto Cellini to possibly lead the reader to believe that these documents are credible and well-written. He proceeded to describe the three elements of Freud’s theory of the ego in order to convey Van Gogh’s mental state. For example, regarding the element of his conscience, Roberts stated that it “confined him and was the chief force in his self-destruction.” Then, Roberts included an excerpt from one of Van Gogh’s letters that portrayed his Christian and moral conscience. At the age of twenty four, Van Gogh began a career in the church but his opinion of the clergymen quickly fell, leading him to treat painting as his vocation. Therefore Van Gogh maintained Christian principles and conscience, but felt guilt for leaving his position in the church to pursue painting more fully. In order to prove to the reader that Van Gogh had mental issues, Roberts outlined Van Gogh’s first mental breakdown. After conversing with several prostitutes, Van Gogh read the passage in the bible that stated that “if one of your organs offends you, you should cut it off and throw it into the fire.” He took this passage literally and cut off his own ear for listening to the prostitutes’ words. This is an example of how his Christian principles led to his demise. Roberts concluded the article by portraying Van Gogh’s suicide and describing it as a “victory for his conscience”.
Roberts utilized several techniques to add depth and validity to his argument that Vincent Van Gogh’s immaculate conscience tormented him throughout his life and led to his suicide at the age of thirty seven. The first tool Roberts used to provide validity was the implementation of Freud’s psychological theory of the ego. Not only does this information provide background for how one may develop their morality, it also provides that reader with a valid source of information, Freud, to prove that he is not simply making up theories on his own. Roberts’ inclusion of an excerpt from one of Van Gogh’s letters was crucial to his argument. It provided interesting information to the reader as well as allowing the reader to get a primary account of how Van Gogh’s mind actually worked. By providing details of Van Gogh’s transition from a career in the church to a career in painting, the reader was able to see that he had a strong Christian background and that the struggle between his Christian moral conscience and his creative painting is a constant battle pulling him in different directions. Also, Roberts’ example of Van Gogh’s ear-cutting episode fit perfectly with the theme of the paper and was the most convincing aspect of the article. This was a direct and causal relationship between Van Gogh’s inner struggle between Christianity and creativity. The event is also shocking and interesting which engages the reader into the material even more.
Charles Stewart Roberts effectively argued that Van Gogh’s psychotic behavior was derived from his inner struggle between his strong Christian moral conscience and his need for creativity. Without the inclusion of a primary account from Van Gogh, professional psychological information from Freud, and important elements of his life, Roberts would have been unable to convince the reader of his argument.
http://www.baylorhealth.edu/proceedings/23_1/23_1_roberts_CS_vangogh.pdf
Roberts began the article by discussing letters that Van Gogh wrote to his brother over a period of twenty years. He compared these letters to documents written by famous historical figures such as Leonardo da Vinci and Benvenuto Cellini to possibly lead the reader to believe that these documents are credible and well-written. He proceeded to describe the three elements of Freud’s theory of the ego in order to convey Van Gogh’s mental state. For example, regarding the element of his conscience, Roberts stated that it “confined him and was the chief force in his self-destruction.” Then, Roberts included an excerpt from one of Van Gogh’s letters that portrayed his Christian and moral conscience. At the age of twenty four, Van Gogh began a career in the church but his opinion of the clergymen quickly fell, leading him to treat painting as his vocation. Therefore Van Gogh maintained Christian principles and conscience, but felt guilt for leaving his position in the church to pursue painting more fully. In order to prove to the reader that Van Gogh had mental issues, Roberts outlined Van Gogh’s first mental breakdown. After conversing with several prostitutes, Van Gogh read the passage in the bible that stated that “if one of your organs offends you, you should cut it off and throw it into the fire.” He took this passage literally and cut off his own ear for listening to the prostitutes’ words. This is an example of how his Christian principles led to his demise. Roberts concluded the article by portraying Van Gogh’s suicide and describing it as a “victory for his conscience”.
Roberts utilized several techniques to add depth and validity to his argument that Vincent Van Gogh’s immaculate conscience tormented him throughout his life and led to his suicide at the age of thirty seven. The first tool Roberts used to provide validity was the implementation of Freud’s psychological theory of the ego. Not only does this information provide background for how one may develop their morality, it also provides that reader with a valid source of information, Freud, to prove that he is not simply making up theories on his own. Roberts’ inclusion of an excerpt from one of Van Gogh’s letters was crucial to his argument. It provided interesting information to the reader as well as allowing the reader to get a primary account of how Van Gogh’s mind actually worked. By providing details of Van Gogh’s transition from a career in the church to a career in painting, the reader was able to see that he had a strong Christian background and that the struggle between his Christian moral conscience and his creative painting is a constant battle pulling him in different directions. Also, Roberts’ example of Van Gogh’s ear-cutting episode fit perfectly with the theme of the paper and was the most convincing aspect of the article. This was a direct and causal relationship between Van Gogh’s inner struggle between Christianity and creativity. The event is also shocking and interesting which engages the reader into the material even more.
Charles Stewart Roberts effectively argued that Van Gogh’s psychotic behavior was derived from his inner struggle between his strong Christian moral conscience and his need for creativity. Without the inclusion of a primary account from Van Gogh, professional psychological information from Freud, and important elements of his life, Roberts would have been unable to convince the reader of his argument.
http://www.baylorhealth.edu/proceedings/23_1/23_1_roberts_CS_vangogh.pdf
Simply "Da Vinci"
For more than a half-century one man has managed to maintain his relevance through his immesurable genius. Everything he touched, brushed, sketched, or chiseled remains, 600 years later, the gold standard for expression. His visions and dreams reflected the intellectual capacity of someone a thousand years ahead of his time, misunderstood and wildly eccentric, there will never be another da Vinci. Timless works of art flowed from whatever delicate instument he used as if it were directly connected to his brain. Color, shading, and texture were all so vividly etched in every stroke of his brush that he was one of the few artists ever considered to be commissioned by the Roman Catholic church. Many of his pictures still represent the iconic images of the Bible’s most holy scenes for people all over the world. Outside of his personal cult however, not everybody is complete supporter of da Vinci. While his contributions both artistically, technologically, and politically are impressive, some feel that parts of his portfolio reached fame only because they are a “da Vinci.” In “Leonardo’s Ghost,” Trevor Winkfield, argues this very point.
“The Last Supper” is arguably the most famous of da Vinci’s paintings. The mysteries involved with the identity of who is sitting at the table, the body language displayed, and the layout of the painting have grabbed it a lot of attention. Compared to his earlier paintings though it is unusually bland. The size of the painting is one cause of this. The detail da Vinci infused into his work caused “paintings the size of “Adoration of The Magi” to take 4 years to complete” and it is a fraction of the size (Winkfield). Scientists calculated that if he had gone at his “typical pace he would have been painting for around 370 years” (Winkfield). Along with size, wear and tear have deteriorated the quality of the painting far beyond restorable means, leaving the quality closer to an ameatures watercolor and less like the holy depiction of Christ at his final meal. The author argues that in pristine condition the painting may have been a better piece but, sadly, it’s not. Special high-tech filters and restorations have if anything degraded the piece even farther, squandering efforts to hold on to what he calls “lost cause” (Winkfield). In the author’s urges to let go of “The Last Supper” he encourages people to look outside of da Vinci to other paintings. Other artists from the same time period created far more brilliant, better-preserved, paintings of “The Last Supper” and are overlooked because “they” are not da Vinci. It becomes evident that the “Ghost” he refers to in his title is in actuality “The Last Supper” and that it is far over due to be put to sleep.
It is not often that people try to take a shot at someone as deified as da Vinci, a man who to some people is literally a god. However, Winkfield does bring up some valuable points. I agree with the assertions that da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” is not as good as his previous works. Time has corroded it’s delicate fabric and irreversibly damaged the “highly coveted unknown mixtures of oil and water-based paints” (Winkfield). The skill that it did take to create though should not be so easily dismissed. In everyone of da Vinci’s pieces, created before or after “The Last Supper,” there is an unmistakable presence that fills the room housing one of his paintings. This is where I disagree with Winkfield, “The Las Supper” should be revered still, it is a da Vinci and it still is a piece of art created specifically for largest political figure of his time period, the Roman Catholic Church. The painting has so much historical value and disguised beauty that to suggest it being overrated is borderline blasphemy. On sheer value alone “The Last Supper” should be housed securely in the greatest of museums, when you add the fact that it was painted with techniques still unknown to painters and that damaged it still strikes people so deeply it is more than deserving of a detour if you happen to be in Milan.
“The Last Supper” is arguably the most famous of da Vinci’s paintings. The mysteries involved with the identity of who is sitting at the table, the body language displayed, and the layout of the painting have grabbed it a lot of attention. Compared to his earlier paintings though it is unusually bland. The size of the painting is one cause of this. The detail da Vinci infused into his work caused “paintings the size of “Adoration of The Magi” to take 4 years to complete” and it is a fraction of the size (Winkfield). Scientists calculated that if he had gone at his “typical pace he would have been painting for around 370 years” (Winkfield). Along with size, wear and tear have deteriorated the quality of the painting far beyond restorable means, leaving the quality closer to an ameatures watercolor and less like the holy depiction of Christ at his final meal. The author argues that in pristine condition the painting may have been a better piece but, sadly, it’s not. Special high-tech filters and restorations have if anything degraded the piece even farther, squandering efforts to hold on to what he calls “lost cause” (Winkfield). In the author’s urges to let go of “The Last Supper” he encourages people to look outside of da Vinci to other paintings. Other artists from the same time period created far more brilliant, better-preserved, paintings of “The Last Supper” and are overlooked because “they” are not da Vinci. It becomes evident that the “Ghost” he refers to in his title is in actuality “The Last Supper” and that it is far over due to be put to sleep.
It is not often that people try to take a shot at someone as deified as da Vinci, a man who to some people is literally a god. However, Winkfield does bring up some valuable points. I agree with the assertions that da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” is not as good as his previous works. Time has corroded it’s delicate fabric and irreversibly damaged the “highly coveted unknown mixtures of oil and water-based paints” (Winkfield). The skill that it did take to create though should not be so easily dismissed. In everyone of da Vinci’s pieces, created before or after “The Last Supper,” there is an unmistakable presence that fills the room housing one of his paintings. This is where I disagree with Winkfield, “The Las Supper” should be revered still, it is a da Vinci and it still is a piece of art created specifically for largest political figure of his time period, the Roman Catholic Church. The painting has so much historical value and disguised beauty that to suggest it being overrated is borderline blasphemy. On sheer value alone “The Last Supper” should be housed securely in the greatest of museums, when you add the fact that it was painted with techniques still unknown to painters and that damaged it still strikes people so deeply it is more than deserving of a detour if you happen to be in Milan.
Joan Mitchell a Lyrical Artist
When we hear someone speak of a lyrical artist, we are quick to think of the hottest pop star or rapper in the musical world; however, based on the argument proposed by Dore Ashton in her article “The Lyrical Principle: On Joan Mitchell”, the lyrical artist does not work with words at all. Joan Mitchell is an artist who has been classified as an abstract expressionist who took pride in declaring that her pieces of art “aren't about art issues. They're about a feeling that comes to me from the outside, from landscape”. Given her very emotional portrayal of art it seems to blur the lines between physical art and poetry. In the article Ashton argues that despite the fact Joan Mitchell’s mother was a poet, her lyricism “does not come from her mother, or any biographical source, but from her intuitive feeling for painters, and painting, with whom she sensed affinities.”
Mitchell was not interested in studying the artists in her generation or those who thought they had to see things in order to recreate them; instead, Mitchell looked up to the style of the older generation of artists who worked in a studio with a canvas on which anything could be created. She was interested in portraying emotions and thoughts, not simply recreating the looks of things. During the 1950s there were a large number of artists who began taking interest in this new form of art that no one was able to classify because it was so diverse depending on what the artist was feeling; however they are shared one thing, the improvisation of emotions on a blank canvas. The freedom the artists felt as they painted these unclassifiable pieces of art was described by Mitchell as “the moment in painting when the painter feels like a bicyclist riding with no hands.”
Mitchell moved from her studio in Manhattan to Paris, where the art scene was much more vanguard, yet Mitchell still associated with those artists who, like herself, had no interest in conforming to traditions. The circle she encompassed herself with was arguably similar to the one she maintained in Manhattan. Mitchell was quick to draw ties to many young artists such as Jean-Paul Riopelle who was from the western hemisphere and moved to Paris as a young artist. Riopelle had been among the youth influenced by the painter Emile Bourduas who gave a very passionate declaration towards the allegiance of freedom which influenced young artists everywhere.
Mitchell’s lyricism is a direct result of the painters and paintings she admired and associated herself with. The choice to follow the older generation of artists as opposed to conforming to the styles of her own generation repeatedly opened many doors for her growth and development as a lyrical artist. Ashton argues that Mitchell’s lyricism was not predetermined or a result of any biological contributors but instead a result of those she associated herself with and the ties she created along the way.
Mitchell was not interested in studying the artists in her generation or those who thought they had to see things in order to recreate them; instead, Mitchell looked up to the style of the older generation of artists who worked in a studio with a canvas on which anything could be created. She was interested in portraying emotions and thoughts, not simply recreating the looks of things. During the 1950s there were a large number of artists who began taking interest in this new form of art that no one was able to classify because it was so diverse depending on what the artist was feeling; however they are shared one thing, the improvisation of emotions on a blank canvas. The freedom the artists felt as they painted these unclassifiable pieces of art was described by Mitchell as “the moment in painting when the painter feels like a bicyclist riding with no hands.”
Mitchell moved from her studio in Manhattan to Paris, where the art scene was much more vanguard, yet Mitchell still associated with those artists who, like herself, had no interest in conforming to traditions. The circle she encompassed herself with was arguably similar to the one she maintained in Manhattan. Mitchell was quick to draw ties to many young artists such as Jean-Paul Riopelle who was from the western hemisphere and moved to Paris as a young artist. Riopelle had been among the youth influenced by the painter Emile Bourduas who gave a very passionate declaration towards the allegiance of freedom which influenced young artists everywhere.
Mitchell’s lyricism is a direct result of the painters and paintings she admired and associated herself with. The choice to follow the older generation of artists as opposed to conforming to the styles of her own generation repeatedly opened many doors for her growth and development as a lyrical artist. Ashton argues that Mitchell’s lyricism was not predetermined or a result of any biological contributors but instead a result of those she associated herself with and the ties she created along the way.
The Controversy of Andy Warhol
“During the 1960s, I think, people forgot what emotions were supposed to be. And I don't think they've ever remembered,” commented well-known pop artist Andy Warhol. His silkscreen replications of public figures such as Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Jackie Kennedy reflect this unemotional outlook. During the 1960s Andy Warhol served as the main influence on pop art and suffered criticism from members of the high-art society who believed that Warhol’s images lacked substance and emotion from his subjects. Despite the flat “mass produced” appearance of Warhol’s pieces, author Cecile Whiting of the Oxford Art Journal argues that his purpose in art was to hide the private figure so often depicted by the media and portray only the public image, which supports his outlook on life- what you see is what you get.
Time itself supports Andy Warhol’s reasoning for denying the private life of his artistic subjects. The time just preceding his emergence as a popular artist was the period of United States history commonly referred to as the Red Scare. The general public lost trust in the media because of false accusations concerning communists within the government and public offices. The private sectors of the lives of public figures were continuously becoming exposed through the media. Warhol desired to depict only the commonly known figure. Unlike the media and other artists, he did not attempt to expose anything about his subjects. A well known work by Andy Warhol is his Marilyn Monroe, which was created after her tragic and greatly publicized death. While the media and artists like James Gill and Derek Marlowe swarmed at the opportunity to expose the secrets that led to her death, Warhol produced a silkscreen of Monroe in the same image as she was forever portrayed in movies and the public eye, a blonde bombshell. Emotion is completely lacking from the piece that contains twenty photographs of Monroe’s face. Each image is practically the same, only with a different color scheme or grain. Seen in his silkscreen of Elizabeth Taylor in the period surrounding her death is the exact same controversy. When the media was in a frenzy over the secret life of celebrity Elizabeth Taylor, artist Andy Warhol created an image of her that could have been seen on any given day as an advertisement for a movie or product. There was nothing secretive about Andy Warhol or any of his subjects.
The silkscreen method chosen by Andy Warhol for the majority of his pieces is often criticized by high-artists because of its assembly line appearance. Warhol even named his art studio the “Factory” because of the mass produced appearance of his art. The artist behind the portrait could be anyone because with the technical silkscreen method Andy eliminates all brush strokes and hand gestures that make an artist an individual. He is quoted saying, “I think it would be so great if more people took up silk screens so that no one would know whether my picture was mine or somebody else's.” That’s what Andy Warhol liked about the method. He was able to hide his identity and, thus, his public image as a pop artist became his only image. Since his perpetual goal was to mask any individuality in his works, Warhol is criticized by individualists and expressionists. Author Cecile Whiting notes that Warhol not only followed this refusal of acknowledgment of a private life in his art, but he firmly practiced it in his everyday life. When interviewed by the media he would give straightforward answers, often one worded. He never gave his personal opinion and even stated once that he wished the interviewers would tell him how to respond beforehand because he was empty of any original response. Whether or not Warhol actually felt empty of a private life in the depths of his being will, of course, remain unknown to the public, but evidence supports the fact that Andy Warhol really felt that his only life was the one seen by everyone else; he had no secrets and he chose to ignore the private scandals of his artistic subjects.
Andy Warhol is an interesting figure in the art world because it seems to me that he defies most of the elements for which professional art stands. A lack of individuality, emotion, and deeper meaning are the topics of great controversy surrounding the work of Andy Warhol. While his works often times could be perceived as celebrity or consumer good advertisements, Warhol’s silkscreens transformed the boundaries of popular art.
Time itself supports Andy Warhol’s reasoning for denying the private life of his artistic subjects. The time just preceding his emergence as a popular artist was the period of United States history commonly referred to as the Red Scare. The general public lost trust in the media because of false accusations concerning communists within the government and public offices. The private sectors of the lives of public figures were continuously becoming exposed through the media. Warhol desired to depict only the commonly known figure. Unlike the media and other artists, he did not attempt to expose anything about his subjects. A well known work by Andy Warhol is his Marilyn Monroe, which was created after her tragic and greatly publicized death. While the media and artists like James Gill and Derek Marlowe swarmed at the opportunity to expose the secrets that led to her death, Warhol produced a silkscreen of Monroe in the same image as she was forever portrayed in movies and the public eye, a blonde bombshell. Emotion is completely lacking from the piece that contains twenty photographs of Monroe’s face. Each image is practically the same, only with a different color scheme or grain. Seen in his silkscreen of Elizabeth Taylor in the period surrounding her death is the exact same controversy. When the media was in a frenzy over the secret life of celebrity Elizabeth Taylor, artist Andy Warhol created an image of her that could have been seen on any given day as an advertisement for a movie or product. There was nothing secretive about Andy Warhol or any of his subjects.
The silkscreen method chosen by Andy Warhol for the majority of his pieces is often criticized by high-artists because of its assembly line appearance. Warhol even named his art studio the “Factory” because of the mass produced appearance of his art. The artist behind the portrait could be anyone because with the technical silkscreen method Andy eliminates all brush strokes and hand gestures that make an artist an individual. He is quoted saying, “I think it would be so great if more people took up silk screens so that no one would know whether my picture was mine or somebody else's.” That’s what Andy Warhol liked about the method. He was able to hide his identity and, thus, his public image as a pop artist became his only image. Since his perpetual goal was to mask any individuality in his works, Warhol is criticized by individualists and expressionists. Author Cecile Whiting notes that Warhol not only followed this refusal of acknowledgment of a private life in his art, but he firmly practiced it in his everyday life. When interviewed by the media he would give straightforward answers, often one worded. He never gave his personal opinion and even stated once that he wished the interviewers would tell him how to respond beforehand because he was empty of any original response. Whether or not Warhol actually felt empty of a private life in the depths of his being will, of course, remain unknown to the public, but evidence supports the fact that Andy Warhol really felt that his only life was the one seen by everyone else; he had no secrets and he chose to ignore the private scandals of his artistic subjects.
Andy Warhol is an interesting figure in the art world because it seems to me that he defies most of the elements for which professional art stands. A lack of individuality, emotion, and deeper meaning are the topics of great controversy surrounding the work of Andy Warhol. While his works often times could be perceived as celebrity or consumer good advertisements, Warhol’s silkscreens transformed the boundaries of popular art.
Picasso's Many Faces
The art historian who wrote this article is Patricia Leighton. In her article she is centered mainly upon the five most meaningful art pieces of Pablo Picasso that she sees in a museum. This museum is not a normal museum. It is the National Gallery of Canada and there is a whole exhibition named "Picasso: Masterworks from the Museum of Modern Art." Basically she goes through the art and talks about its cultural significance and what it means. Her main thesis is that Picasso had created the art of the century.
First she evaluates the art called “The Frugal Repast”. This etching is from Picasso’s early period in his career. It represented poverty and social isolation by the ragged clothes of the people and the small meal. The author states “Picasso, a participant in the turn-of-the-century anarchist movement in Barcelona and Paris, frequently evoked themes of poverty and depicted the ills of an unequal society, neglectful of the arts and spiritual life”.
The next art piece is entitled, “Head of a Sleeping Woman”. The author states that this is art relative to Picasso’s African period. She says that he uses this art to shock the audience by using expressions of an African woman with diagonal lines across her face. He also uses things like clear lines, three-dimensional space, shadows, and natural color. The author refers to this art as the “African mask”.
Next piece of art is called “Standing Nude”. This art etching is of a single standing woman in a style called analytical cubism. The figure can be obscured by the shifting planes and shadows placed in the etching by Picasso. The author states “instead of a naturalist or "objective" vision, we are offered the artist's unique and intuitive perception of reality, wherein he combines different viewpoints of the figure as well as suggesting different sorts of knowledge about her”. This entices the visual and philosophical traditions of the past and how women were viewed.
The fourth etching the author evaluates is called “Painter and Model Knitting”. This is a strange depiction of someone named Balzac and his tale of a 17th century artist who labored over a decade over his masterpiece. The artist is looking at a woman knitting fully clothed but the artist is looking further than that. He is outlining her body and figures. This art piece relates to the time period of the surrealist movement. It emphasized the “transformative capacities of the artist- whose free play of imagination creates such organic”.
Lastly, she begins to talk about a more beautiful piece named “Face of Marie-Therese”. It is a portrait of his new lover. He gives her a beautiful portrait which was also used by one of his friends for his book. It is just an illustration of how he portrayed this beautiful woman. He gave her a smooth face with a straight nose and curvy forehead. “Despite the comforting signals of classicism and realism evident here, Picasso is still contemplating cubist-related issues of the individuality of perception and tactility”.
I think that Picasso’s art is a little strange and out of the box, but I like how he relates his art to the time periods in which it was created. This makes him more than an artist. It makes him a genius and after reading this article I wouldn’t mind learning more about him and his art.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Sports Science
Chris J. Gee’s article on behavior modification, “How Does Sport Psychology Actually Improve Athletic Performance? A Framework to Facilitate Athletes’ and Coaches’ Understanding,” portrays the importance of sport psychology in athletics. He attempts to provide information about sport psychology to coaches and athletes and give sport psychologists the ability to sell their services to athletes and teams.
Gee begins by providing background for sport psychology and stating that many teams and individuals are still wary of sport psychologists and hesitant to go to them for help. He then tells why many people are skeptical of sport psychologists. These reasons include that the athletic community views sport psychologists like other mental health practitioners and a lack of understanding of what services a sport psychologist actually provides.
Gee has developed two terms, absolute performance and relative performance, and he takes time to describe these to the reader. Absolute performance is a person’s optimum ability to perform based on their genetics. Some athletes have genetic advantages over others; therefore some athletes will theoretically always be at a disadvantage to the superior athletes. Relative performance is how the athlete performed in a competition relative to his or her absolute performance potential.
In order to persuade readers that sport psychology is an important aspect of the athletic community, he argues that there is a mental aspect to sport performance. He states that an athlete’s attitude and mental state before and during the competition can affect his or her ability to compete successfully. If an athlete experiences anxiety before or during a performance, the athlete’s perception, ability to shift attention, and fine motor functioning are decreased. Gee argues that these psychological impediments can be controlled by the athlete unlike other external factors, and a sport psychologist is necessary to obtain control over the psychological impediments.
Gee then describes cognitive anxiety and somatic anxiety and their interrelatedness. Cognitive anxiety consists of worrying and apprehension while examples of somatic anxiety are the butterflies, cold hands, and short breathing. Cognitive anxiety can be reduced by restructuring the athlete’s thought patterns and showing the athlete that his or her self-worth is not determined by their athletic performance. Somatic anxiety can be reduced with relaxation strategies that relieve tension. Gee argues that because anxiety exists in many athletes and can impede performance, sport psychologists should be a more integral part of athletic teams.
According to Gee, sport psychology helps athletes perform closer to their absolute potential by increasing their relative performance. However, psychological impediments differ from athlete to athlete and the impact on performance differs greatly as well. If the athlete can increase his or her control over these impediments, their absolute performance will drop less than the athlete that allows psychological impediments to get in the way. Overall, sport psychology is meant to help athletes perform as high as their genetic and physiological potential will allow them to by not letting psychological impediments slow them down.
Gee begins by providing background for sport psychology and stating that many teams and individuals are still wary of sport psychologists and hesitant to go to them for help. He then tells why many people are skeptical of sport psychologists. These reasons include that the athletic community views sport psychologists like other mental health practitioners and a lack of understanding of what services a sport psychologist actually provides.
Gee has developed two terms, absolute performance and relative performance, and he takes time to describe these to the reader. Absolute performance is a person’s optimum ability to perform based on their genetics. Some athletes have genetic advantages over others; therefore some athletes will theoretically always be at a disadvantage to the superior athletes. Relative performance is how the athlete performed in a competition relative to his or her absolute performance potential.
In order to persuade readers that sport psychology is an important aspect of the athletic community, he argues that there is a mental aspect to sport performance. He states that an athlete’s attitude and mental state before and during the competition can affect his or her ability to compete successfully. If an athlete experiences anxiety before or during a performance, the athlete’s perception, ability to shift attention, and fine motor functioning are decreased. Gee argues that these psychological impediments can be controlled by the athlete unlike other external factors, and a sport psychologist is necessary to obtain control over the psychological impediments.
Gee then describes cognitive anxiety and somatic anxiety and their interrelatedness. Cognitive anxiety consists of worrying and apprehension while examples of somatic anxiety are the butterflies, cold hands, and short breathing. Cognitive anxiety can be reduced by restructuring the athlete’s thought patterns and showing the athlete that his or her self-worth is not determined by their athletic performance. Somatic anxiety can be reduced with relaxation strategies that relieve tension. Gee argues that because anxiety exists in many athletes and can impede performance, sport psychologists should be a more integral part of athletic teams.
According to Gee, sport psychology helps athletes perform closer to their absolute potential by increasing their relative performance. However, psychological impediments differ from athlete to athlete and the impact on performance differs greatly as well. If the athlete can increase his or her control over these impediments, their absolute performance will drop less than the athlete that allows psychological impediments to get in the way. Overall, sport psychology is meant to help athletes perform as high as their genetic and physiological potential will allow them to by not letting psychological impediments slow them down.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Why do I feel this way?
College is extremely stressful. Depression is a common emotion that during the year when students reach that week were 3 papers are due along with 2-4 exams. Based on recent studies by the Medical University of South Carolina, there is a direct correlation between anger, depression, and stress to the use of other outlets such as the use of unhealthy lifestyles including fatty foods, and physical inactivity. Surprisingly alcohol was not directly connected with a poor mental state. So what do us as college students need to do to bypass this unhealthy lifestyle? I suggest that staying positive and refrain from unnecessary anxiety and depression looks like the best possible choice to stay in physical and physiological good standing. This article intends to enlighten the public to how individuals who have a negative state of mind are less likely to engage in positive health habits and that the way these feelings are expressed also play a role in these habits. The main goal is to learn how to identify these risks of and become healthier because depression, anxiety, and anger influence health behaviors.
The author begins the first paragraph by suggesting that development of the leading health risk, Coronary heart disease and stroke, is directly correlated with lifestyle factors. This makes the connection of health risks with inadequate physical activity and a poor negative mental state very easy for the reader to make. If a person is depressed this leads to more saturated fat intake which can lead to more health risks and decreased life expectancy. “More specifically, higher levels of depression and trait anger were positively associated with and predicted saturated fat consumption.”
The second reason the author believes it is important to become more positive and happier is because exercise is negatively reflected upon a poor mental state. The tests subjects were broken up into two categories; physical activity and strength training. The results showed that the angrier someone is the more likely they will participate in strength training rather than aerobic training. The more depressed the subject was the less overall physical training they reported. One thing that shocked me was that there was a negative correlation between alcohol consumption. The studies did not connect the increase of alcohol use with a negative state of mind including anxiety and depression. I guess I always feel like people use alcohol or forget their troubles and move into this different state of mind. Kind of like washing away their sorrows, but according to these studies there is not such a connection with alcohol.
“The key findings of this study were that anger levels and expression style were strongly associated with health behavior patterns.” This is more detailed when the author breaks down the two ways expression was evaluated. First, each person was classified as either an external expressionist or internal expressionist. External anger expression tends to lead to more of a fat intake filled diet which included decreased aerobic exercise. Internal anger expression was more positively engaged with strength training as mentioned earlier. Therefore, to become a physically fit individual and live in a healthier body it is better to refrain from a negative state of mind and express our emotions openly to reduce depression and increased physical involvement.
Habit Reversal
Researchers are still gathering information on TS and as a result of the dynamic nature of the studies, results often vary; despite the variability, various findings have been cited consistently throughout literature relating to TS. Generally, onset of TS occurs between the ages of 2 and 15 peaking around 7 to 9. According to information collected from David’s family his tics began around 7 years of age and continued to develop in intensity over the years. As a result of David’s family’s “low socioeconomic status, their general lack of understanding regarding tic disorders, and lack of access to services” David had not received treatment prior to the study conducted. David’s tics were immediately identified once he entered school in the United States, “the discernible sound of David’s motor tics often caused the teacher to pause the classroom instruction and elicited negative remarks from David’s classmates regarding his behavior.” The disruptive behavior resulted in referrals to the school psychologist where he was diagnosed with TS and placed in special education classrooms and prescribed three pharmacological agents to suppress his tics, but due to the sedative nature of the medications his dosage was altered to only one agent and after six weeks of adjusting to the medicine Gilman, Connor and Haney began their study taking baseline data and implementing habit reversal.
Given that David’s tics were considered most problematic in class, they were targeted for the habit reversal study. The study was designed and conducted in three phases of data collection: baseline, intervention, and follow up. There were two separate observers who collected data for the study, the first was David’s special education teacher who taught David two classes a day and the other was David’s math teacher. The math teacher was unable to collect data during the intervention phase; however the baseline and follow up data paired with the data from the first observer were adequate to make conclusions for the study.
In order for habit reversal to be successful, the subject must first be made aware of the external and internal conditions that bring forth the tics and is then taught to perform an incompatible behavior that prevents the tic from being carried out. There are two main components to habit reversal, the first being awareness training which includes response description and response detection. During the response description David was asked to make a list of the conditions that bring forth the tics and explicitly describe what happens during the tics. Response detection consisted of Gilman acting out the described tic and David successfully identifying them. After successful completion of the awareness training David was taught an incompatible behavior, which was to grab the bottom of the chair and focus on deep breathing, to use when he identified any of the conditions or experienced a motor tic. Given that one of the main reasons researches have concluded as a reason for failed habit reversal studies was noncompliance, a reward system was implemented in his special education class to encourage compliance. The incompatible behavior was carried out and data collection continued for 3 weeks. Three weeks after the completion of the intervention phase, follow up data was collected and again 3 months post intervention.
Comparison of the baseline data, intervention data, and follow up data proved that the habit reversal was a successful method in reducing the number of tics experienced as a result of TS. David’s baseline data revealed high levels of motor tics in all three classes and was most frequent in social studies and science ( averaging 37.5 and 34.5 respectively) and less frequent in math (9.25). During the intervention phase a significant decrease was noted in his social studies and science class (8.0 and 7.5). The frequency of the tics noticeably decreased even more in the post intervention follow up collection. The consistent decrease throughout the study proved that habit reversal is a successful method in decreasing the frequency of tics in a subject diagnosed with TS.
Everybody's Doing It
Despite the fact that social reform campaigns drill in adolescents that “everyone is not doing it” and to live “above the influence,” surveys reveal that “80% to 90% of all college students consume alcoholic beverages” (Behavior Modification). Social scientists have been studying the effects of alcohol on university students for many years. Because social science concerns the scientific study of behavior in social settings, an innovative group of scientists have spent a considerable amount of time creating an experiment to alter alcohol influenced behavior at college fraternity parties. In 2001, an interventional study occurred at Virginia Tech University. First, students were openly invited to fraternity parties and after an hour, researchers measured their blood alcohol content with a breathalyzer. Two of these parties occurred in the same fashion and then two parties were held where attending students were given notice that they would be breathalized during the party and informed that if their measure of alcohol intoxication was less than .05, they would be entered into a raffle for a monetary prize. The Virginia Tech experiment is different than preceding experiments because students were presented with an incentive to decrease alcohol consumption and their intoxication level was directly measured by an official. By performing this experiment, researchers accomplished measuring the blood alcohol level of partygoers at a normal fraternity party, decreasing the levels of students’ blood alcohol content by almost half, and evaluating the intensity of alcohol consumption between Greeks and non-Greeks.
Before scientists could effectively devise a plan to decrease alcohol consumption at college parties, they needed to know the current, uninfluenced level of consumption. The first two parties, called “baseline parties,” began as any normal party would. They took place at the same off-campus fraternity house and the party was open to any student of the university, Greek or non-Greek. Two hours after the party began, researches in casual clothes dispersed throughout the house and asked students if they would test their BAC for data collection. Each student was only allowed to submit one BAC and survey about themselves. Of the students at the parties, 96 were sampled at the first and 83 at the second uncontrolled party. The mean BAC at these parties was around .095, where the legal BAC is .08. Prior research from social scientists has revealed that most college-aged drinkers are abusers of alcohol rather than dependants. For this reason, researchers have set their target BAC for students to be .05. At this level students receive the benefit of relaxation and a more eased social interaction, but they still have the control necessary for avoiding physical violence, property damage, automobile accidents, unsafe sexual activities, and poor academic performance. After noting the normal BAC at a college party, scientists prepared to implement a strategy to decrease intoxication levels in the future.
The second set of parties was referred to as “intervention parties” and students were notified by flier upon entry that there would be an incentive for keeping their BAC below the target of .05. Several suggestions for reducing BAC were given under the incentive, including drinking water and eating snacks between drinks. To aid students in keeping their BAC down, a chart was printed on the back side of the flyer that illustrated how to calculate BAC given a specific weight and number of drinks. Just as before, two hours into the party, researchers positioned themselves throughout the house and measured BACs along with demographics such as Greek affiliation and gender. Those partyers whose BAC measured .05 or less were given a raffle ticket to win one hundred dollars at the end of the party. 86 students were sampled at the first intervention and 91 at the second. This time, the mean BAC was around .055, a significant drop from the baseline parties. The number of legally intoxicated students at the intervention parties was between 22% and 30%, compared to between 54% and 63% at the baseline parties. By providing an incentive for keeping BAC at the target level, the researchers proved that drinking at university parties could be reduced by almost 50%.
Another aspect of the research experiment was the difference in alcohol consumption between students involved in the Greek system and those uninvolved. Social experts have publicized the debate over whether the Greek system breeds alcohol abusers or attracts abusers of alcohol. No matter the actual answer, students in the Greek system have professed that they drink more alcohol during any given week, drink more heavily at any given time, and, therefore, suffer more drastic consequences than those students who are uninvolved with Greek life. At the baseline parties, the average BAC of Greek students was .093. Whereas at the intervention parties, .05 was the average BAC for Greek affiliated students. Though the average level of intoxication of Greek students was higher at both sets of parties than unaffiliated students, the incentive program was even more influential on Greeks than non-Greeks.
After reading the Virginia Tech research, I was very skeptical of the actual application of the experiment. Scientists cannot attend every college party in the future and provide a monetary incentive for not drinking; obviously this is irrational. The researchers, however, managed to create several scenarios in which a natural incentive process could actually reduce alcohol consumption at college parties. One suggestion was that party-attenders could pay a small fee upon entry, and at the end of the party a raffle would be drawn and the total collected money given to the winning student. Any policy awarding a physical reward for a low BAC would present the possibility of changing the high-BAC norm on college campuses. Once students are exposed several times to the incentive program and realize that they can control their intake of alcohol and continue having a good time, a natural influence will continue to be present causing students to overall reduce their level of alcohol consumption. The incentive program is simple enough to actually work. While reducing the risk students experience from abusing alcohol, the community will feel safer and the negative externalities will be dramatically reduced.
http://bmo.sagepub.com/content/28/2/167
Before scientists could effectively devise a plan to decrease alcohol consumption at college parties, they needed to know the current, uninfluenced level of consumption. The first two parties, called “baseline parties,” began as any normal party would. They took place at the same off-campus fraternity house and the party was open to any student of the university, Greek or non-Greek. Two hours after the party began, researches in casual clothes dispersed throughout the house and asked students if they would test their BAC for data collection. Each student was only allowed to submit one BAC and survey about themselves. Of the students at the parties, 96 were sampled at the first and 83 at the second uncontrolled party. The mean BAC at these parties was around .095, where the legal BAC is .08. Prior research from social scientists has revealed that most college-aged drinkers are abusers of alcohol rather than dependants. For this reason, researchers have set their target BAC for students to be .05. At this level students receive the benefit of relaxation and a more eased social interaction, but they still have the control necessary for avoiding physical violence, property damage, automobile accidents, unsafe sexual activities, and poor academic performance. After noting the normal BAC at a college party, scientists prepared to implement a strategy to decrease intoxication levels in the future.
The second set of parties was referred to as “intervention parties” and students were notified by flier upon entry that there would be an incentive for keeping their BAC below the target of .05. Several suggestions for reducing BAC were given under the incentive, including drinking water and eating snacks between drinks. To aid students in keeping their BAC down, a chart was printed on the back side of the flyer that illustrated how to calculate BAC given a specific weight and number of drinks. Just as before, two hours into the party, researchers positioned themselves throughout the house and measured BACs along with demographics such as Greek affiliation and gender. Those partyers whose BAC measured .05 or less were given a raffle ticket to win one hundred dollars at the end of the party. 86 students were sampled at the first intervention and 91 at the second. This time, the mean BAC was around .055, a significant drop from the baseline parties. The number of legally intoxicated students at the intervention parties was between 22% and 30%, compared to between 54% and 63% at the baseline parties. By providing an incentive for keeping BAC at the target level, the researchers proved that drinking at university parties could be reduced by almost 50%.
Another aspect of the research experiment was the difference in alcohol consumption between students involved in the Greek system and those uninvolved. Social experts have publicized the debate over whether the Greek system breeds alcohol abusers or attracts abusers of alcohol. No matter the actual answer, students in the Greek system have professed that they drink more alcohol during any given week, drink more heavily at any given time, and, therefore, suffer more drastic consequences than those students who are uninvolved with Greek life. At the baseline parties, the average BAC of Greek students was .093. Whereas at the intervention parties, .05 was the average BAC for Greek affiliated students. Though the average level of intoxication of Greek students was higher at both sets of parties than unaffiliated students, the incentive program was even more influential on Greeks than non-Greeks.
After reading the Virginia Tech research, I was very skeptical of the actual application of the experiment. Scientists cannot attend every college party in the future and provide a monetary incentive for not drinking; obviously this is irrational. The researchers, however, managed to create several scenarios in which a natural incentive process could actually reduce alcohol consumption at college parties. One suggestion was that party-attenders could pay a small fee upon entry, and at the end of the party a raffle would be drawn and the total collected money given to the winning student. Any policy awarding a physical reward for a low BAC would present the possibility of changing the high-BAC norm on college campuses. Once students are exposed several times to the incentive program and realize that they can control their intake of alcohol and continue having a good time, a natural influence will continue to be present causing students to overall reduce their level of alcohol consumption. The incentive program is simple enough to actually work. While reducing the risk students experience from abusing alcohol, the community will feel safer and the negative externalities will be dramatically reduced.
http://bmo.sagepub.com/content/28/2/167
Sports Psychology
The practice of sports psychology has grown along with the popularity of competitive sports themselves. As more and more money has gone into developing highly skilled athletic programs, more money has also gone into understanding the mental attitudes and functions of those they are built around. The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with a simple framework depicting how using sports psychology can translate into improved competition performance. This article is intended to help heighten the general understanding of the sports psychology practice for players, coaches, and the public. What the author seeks to learn is, “If so many athletes need psychological support and are aware that they have this need, why don’t they seek treatment more often” (Gee).
The author’s first hypothesis is that athletes view sports psychologists much like the general public view any doctor who specializes in mental processes, negatively. People who need psychiatrists, psychologists, and counselors are often labeled as being mentally unstable by society. The public often isolates them or makes them feel inferior for having difficulty dealing with their feelings and thoughts. Athletes have the same fear as any person who would be recommended to a mental specialist, that they might become less revered in the public eye if they were in need of mental or emotional support.
The second reason that the author believes sports psychology is being underutilized is because of a lack of understanding about the practice by coaches and athletes. Coaches and players are unable to see immediate benefits from therapy. It is not like lifting weights or taking nutritional supplements where direct improvements that can be tested immediately are seen. The absence of immediate results causes a lot of skepticism in the athletic community for people who are used to seeing results. The overall lack of confidence in the practice of sports psychology makes it even more difficult to help them understand the positives and try it.
What makes sports psychology relevant? On paper many athletes put up extremely impressive numbers. However, these numbers are not always consistent, they are ideal. The author refers to ideal performance as “Absolute Performance” and explains how physically a person may be capable of a certain feat on paper but they do not always perform up to that level due to the day-to-day factors that they are faced with. What the author leaves us with is “Relative Performance” which he states as being the level of performance people are capable of in real life conditions. The author claims that there are two limiting factors that cause the drop from Absolute Performance to Relative Performance, physiological and psychological obstacles. Physiological inhibitors are taken into consideration and thrown out in this research. This leaves the other performance-limiting factor though, psychological obstacles.
Anxiety is a main instigator in causing poor performance in athletes. This mental disorder does not only cause stress but can physically limit normal functions as well. Loss of vision, fine motor skills, and concentration are all effects of anxiety that can hurt performance. Most cognitive anxiety for athletes comes from losing feelings of self-worth due to a lack of athletic achievement and can be devastating. Another form of anxiety is somatic which is extremely detrimental to athletes. Somatic anxiety manifests itself in fine motor skills or in muscles making routine functions seem difficult and uncomfortable. Both forms of anxiety have responded to therapy by sports psychologists. Through therapy psychologists are able to teach athletes how to separate success and self-worth or retain critical skills by relaxing.
All psychological problems are very personal. Every athlete requires individual attention and a fresh perspective in order to release the troubles that they are encountering. A stress free athlete is able to focus more on the competition at hand and will ultimately perform better because of it. Detrimental thoughts and actions because of excess stress can negatively effect an athlete to perform far below their physiological capabilities. Because of this sports psychology is necessary to provide the tools and practices that athletes and coaches need to avoid such situations and perform at the top of their threshold.
The author’s first hypothesis is that athletes view sports psychologists much like the general public view any doctor who specializes in mental processes, negatively. People who need psychiatrists, psychologists, and counselors are often labeled as being mentally unstable by society. The public often isolates them or makes them feel inferior for having difficulty dealing with their feelings and thoughts. Athletes have the same fear as any person who would be recommended to a mental specialist, that they might become less revered in the public eye if they were in need of mental or emotional support.
The second reason that the author believes sports psychology is being underutilized is because of a lack of understanding about the practice by coaches and athletes. Coaches and players are unable to see immediate benefits from therapy. It is not like lifting weights or taking nutritional supplements where direct improvements that can be tested immediately are seen. The absence of immediate results causes a lot of skepticism in the athletic community for people who are used to seeing results. The overall lack of confidence in the practice of sports psychology makes it even more difficult to help them understand the positives and try it.
What makes sports psychology relevant? On paper many athletes put up extremely impressive numbers. However, these numbers are not always consistent, they are ideal. The author refers to ideal performance as “Absolute Performance” and explains how physically a person may be capable of a certain feat on paper but they do not always perform up to that level due to the day-to-day factors that they are faced with. What the author leaves us with is “Relative Performance” which he states as being the level of performance people are capable of in real life conditions. The author claims that there are two limiting factors that cause the drop from Absolute Performance to Relative Performance, physiological and psychological obstacles. Physiological inhibitors are taken into consideration and thrown out in this research. This leaves the other performance-limiting factor though, psychological obstacles.
Anxiety is a main instigator in causing poor performance in athletes. This mental disorder does not only cause stress but can physically limit normal functions as well. Loss of vision, fine motor skills, and concentration are all effects of anxiety that can hurt performance. Most cognitive anxiety for athletes comes from losing feelings of self-worth due to a lack of athletic achievement and can be devastating. Another form of anxiety is somatic which is extremely detrimental to athletes. Somatic anxiety manifests itself in fine motor skills or in muscles making routine functions seem difficult and uncomfortable. Both forms of anxiety have responded to therapy by sports psychologists. Through therapy psychologists are able to teach athletes how to separate success and self-worth or retain critical skills by relaxing.
All psychological problems are very personal. Every athlete requires individual attention and a fresh perspective in order to release the troubles that they are encountering. A stress free athlete is able to focus more on the competition at hand and will ultimately perform better because of it. Detrimental thoughts and actions because of excess stress can negatively effect an athlete to perform far below their physiological capabilities. Because of this sports psychology is necessary to provide the tools and practices that athletes and coaches need to avoid such situations and perform at the top of their threshold.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)