Goals and Goal Setting in Sport Injury Rehabilitation Module 5 PSYCHOLOGY 310: Sport & Injury Psychology University of Mary Instructor: Dr. Theresa Magelky

Goal Setting Goal setting is one of most popular and widely-used psychological interventions in sport Implemented by athletes to improve performance 3 Different Types of Goals: Outcome goals – focused on the outcome of an event such as winning or earning a medal and involve interpersonal comparison Performance goals – involve intrapersonal assessment, as they are typically focused on achieving a particular level of performance in comparison to one’s previous performance and not to that of other competitors Process goals – focused on the actions and required tasks in which an individual must engage to achieve the desired performance outcome

Goal Setting Mechanistic Goal Setting Theory (Locke & Latham, 1990) – proposes that a linear relationship exists between the above-mentioned goals and performance Goals which are difficult yet realistic, specific, and measurable lead to greater performance improvement than vague, easy, and do-your-best goals

Purpose of Rehabilitation Goal Setting Injured athletes’ use/disuse of psychological strategies (e.g., goal setting, a behavioral response) can have impact on athlete’s cognitive appraisal of the injury (e.g., ability to adjust their goals or rate of perceived recovery), which can have an impact on their emotional responses to injury Cyclical relationships between: Cognitions Emotions Behaviors

Benefits of Goal Setting to the Athlete Goal setting during rehabilitation can have multiple benefits to the athlete: Positive effect on the athlete’s physiological and psychological healing Pain management when obtaining normal range of motion, muscular strengthening, and numerous sport-related skills Goal setting has positive effect on overall injury process – it enables faster recovery and return back to sport Has been found to impact injured athletes’ attitude, successful appraisal/acceptance of the injury, overall confidence in injury recovery, & adherence to the rehabilitation program

Benefits of Goal Setting to the Athlete (cont.) Main reason goal setting appears to be useful for injured athletes during rehabilitation – goal setting has positive effects on adherence This is important because …adherence is a key determinant of whether or not an athlete is able to cope successfully with their rehabilitation Goal setting has been found to facilitate athletes’ levels of motivation, effort, and persistence – this is beneficial in enhancing adherence Goal setting increases athletes’ levels of self-efficacy & self-confidence, and decrease loss of motivation and apathy

Benefits of Goal Setting to the Athlete (cont.) Taylor & Taylor (1997) propose that difference levels of goals should be considered during sport injury rehabilitation 4 Levels of Goals: Recovery Goals – associated with final level of recovery (long-term goals) Stage Goals – consist of specific objectives for each of the different stages of rehabilitation (medium-term goals) Daily Goals – relate to daily objectives and targets for each rehab session (short-term goals) Lifestyle Goals – goals related to athlete’s lifestyle

Process of Using Goal Setting for Rehabilitation Phase 1: Assess and identify athletes’ personal and physical needs Phase 2: Identifying and setting effective goals: Key characteristics Phase 3: Identify and consider factors affecting goal setting effectiveness Phase 4: A step-by-step program to integrate goal setting into injury rehabilitation

Process of Using Goal Setting for Rehabilitation Phase 1: Assess and identify athletes’ personal and physical needs Through use of rehabilitation profiling – which can help to gain an understanding of athlete’s perceptions of their current personal and physical factors influencing rehab and recovery Profiling enables injured athletes and sport medicine professionals to gain a visual display of a range of factors

Process of Using Goal Setting for Rehabilitation Phase 2: Identifying and setting effective goals: Key characteristics Guidelines on setting effective goals: Understand importance of setting the right type of goals Set goals that are specific and measurable Set challenging but realistic and attainable goals Focus on the degree of, rather than on the absolute, attainment of goals Set goals that are stated in a positive manner

Process of Using Goal Setting for Rehabilitation Phase 3: Identify and consider factors affecting goal setting effectiveness Factors that can have impact on goal setting effectiveness: Ensure that goal setting is fully integrated into rehabilitation Consider goal setting as an individualized mutual sharing and dynamic process Understand importance of goal acceptance/commitment Monitor and evaluate set goals regularly Prepare a written contract with injured athlete Be aware of variability in goal setting effectiveness

Process of Using Goal Setting for Rehabilitation Phase 4: A step-by-step program to integrate goal setting into injury rehabilitation Start with conversation between rehabilitation professionals and the athlete Set clear goals for each of components of physical recovery: range of motion, strength, stability, stamina, flexibility, other relevant physical parameters Discuss psychological goals in a similar manner by using a tool such as rehabilitation profiling Agree upon any strategies needed for achieving goals Remember to revise and assess your goals regularly

References Arvinen-Barrow, M., & Walker, N. (2013). The Psychology of Sport Injury and Rehabilitation (1st ed.). Routledege. Kremer, J., Moran, A., Walker, G., & Craig. C. (2012). Key Concepts in Sport Psychology. Sage Publishing.