| Psychoathletic development is the process of attaining healthy psychological development in conjunction with athletic development. It is based on the concept that, under certain conditions, the athletic experience has the potential to bring about not only athletic growth, but also personal growth, maturation and good psychosocial adjustment.;In this paper, Rosenthal discusses how psychological, emotional, familial and social forces influence athletic life and either enhance or hinder psychoathletic development. Case examples are used to demonstrate how the athlete's unconscious motivations, interpersonal struggles, family dynamics and team dynamics can create obstacles to athletic success and to personal growth. In addition, weaknesses and gaps in current methods of athletic training are identified, and the author explains how these may contribute to athletes' personal difficulties and emotional problems.;The author recommends that sport psychologists and clinicians adopt a psychotherapeutic approach to working with athletes in efforts to promote healthy pyschoathletic development. Rosenthal terms this "clinical sport psychology" and demonstrates this approach through in-depth study of case examples. In addition, a model for the ideal functioning of the athlete is proposed, and this includes the ability of the athlete to create a growth promoting and maturational athletic experience.;The study also includes a multi-disciplinary survey of the literature, demonstrating how the contributions of several fields of study add to our understanding of the athletic experience. Relevant disciplines include child psychology, family psychology, group psychology, social work and sport psychology. |
