Question: Using the peak flow stimulus, explain how a team/performer have won important games
A psychologist named Csikszentmihalyi proposed that a high quality skill is achieved when a performer is fully focused and controlled. When an athlete is in this peak zone, they experience an optimal performance as well as an optimal feeling. The performer is rewarded by the movement performance and also experiences emotions of happiness and self-fulfillment. This sensation is known as the ‘peak flow experience’.
The ‘peak flow’ stimulus shows the link between arousal and cognitive anxiety. In order to achieve optimal performance or ‘peak flow’, a performer must attain the feelings of excitement and happiness, which are situated in the top left hand box. This occurs with low cognitive anxiety and high somatic arousal, resulting in the highest performance of the individual. On the other hand, if an athlete has both high somatic arousal and cognitive anxiety, they will most likely be feeling increasingly anxious and angry and hence their performance is impaired. When experiencing low cognitive anxiety and low somatic arousal, a performer will feel lethargic and drowsy but when their somatic arousal is low but their cognitive arousal is high, they will be overcome with boredom and fatigue. In both these states their motivation to put in maximum amounts of effort is low.
There are a number of factors that affect ‘peak flow’ experience: these are anxiety, concentration, attentional style, confidence, goal-setting, environmental conditions, leadership and group cohesion.
If a performer can control their own levels of anxiety then they can utilize their preferred zone of optimal functioning. For example, if an athlete is feeling exceedingly anxious prior to an event, they can use methods, such as breathing techniques, to reach their preferred state of anxiety and therefore reach their zone of optimal functioning, enhancing sporting performance.
If a performer is optimally aroused, they can begin to focus in on concentration. Optimal arousal can be achieved whilst anxiety is low and that permits optimal cue utilization and an athlete can achieve perfect selective attention.
When at optimal arousal and controlled anxiety an athlete can match the correct attention style with the situation at hand. It is therefore possible to achieve a broad or narrow focus if necessary.
An athlete develops trait confidence and self efficacy over repeated attempts within skills, which would certainly reduce anxiety, meaning the ‘peak flow’ experience would become better and more efficient.
If a performer’s goals are both realistic and achievable, anxiety will be reduced and, again, therefore allow their maximal performance through the ‘peak flow’ experience.
Environmental conditions refers many concepts, including social facilitation. This can be when a crowd is positive, a coach is providing encouraging and enthusiastic feedback to their athlete(s), or if a coach is directing the correct attributions to allow players for positive performance. By having those positive environmental conditions, that will adapt the ‘peak flow’ experience to a positive one.
If the individual athlete matches the leadership style of the coach, they will receive a better ‘peak flow’ experience and make them feel happy.
If athletes are working in a group or a team that share common goals and sufficient teamwork then therefore performance will improve as there is an enhanced ‘peak flow’ that is evident.
Essentially, when high somatic arousal matches low cognitive anxiety, ‘peak flow’ is achieved as a consequence.
Emily Caswell – 13th October 2016
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