The Mental Game
By Larry G Maguire
The Mental GameJun 15, 2020
EP007 For The Prize or The Love of It?
EP006 The Autotelic Personality
In this episode, we will explore the autotelic personality and the aspects of the self essential for peak experience in work, sport and indeed life. We will also explore the nine optimal conditions for Flow according to psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. High performance in all domains of work and play requires it, and the degree to which we may cultivate these aspects of personality will almost certainly influence our performance results. Want to become a better actor, writer, craftsperson, athlete or business person? Consider these 9 aspects of the autotelic personality and work consistently to build them in yourself.
EP005 Becoming The Performatist
The Performatist is a concept of the individualised, yet universal self. It is that version of humanity that grows out of self-direction and autonomy. The Performatist is the one who makes a dent in their own particular corner of the world. Whether that dent is small or large is irrelevant. What is important is that we become the active agent in command of our own work and life experience. This is not a narcissistic, neo-liberal capitalist position that insists you must be the quintessential entrepreneur, take on the world and conquer it. In fact, in this philosophy, material gain and wordly recognition are secondary or even tertiary to the primary motivation. The Performatist is someone who is self-determined, self-directed, but humanistic and in tune to the impact of their actions on others. To The Performatist, there is nothing to gain except inherent enjoyment of the work, and no one to conquer except themselves. In this way, The Performatist is the one who follows their own path, not for success’ sake, but for the enjoyment of the work itself.
EP004 The Psychological Skills of Elite Performers
In today's episode, I'm exploring 5 key psychological skills of elite performers. Elite performers in all fields of work, sport, the arts, and beyond, possess psychological skills that enable their higher level output. Research reports that psychological skills training, comprising psychological techniques and strategies for self-regulation and mental preparation & recovery, is an essential component in high-level achievement. So, if we want to excel, we must adopt and perfect these mental skills. In this article, we will explore five important psychological skills, offer support from findings of empirical research, and suggest ways by which you can develop these skills in yourself. OK, let's retrain your brain.
EP003 The PERMA Model of Wellbeing
Read more about The PERMA Model; humanperformance.ie/what-is-resilience
In the late 1960s, the father of positive psychology Martin Seligman and his research associate, Steven Maier, were part of a team that discovered the phenomena “learned helplessness." They found that dogs, rats, and mice, when subjected to mild electric shock over which they had no control, would learn to accept it, making no attempt to escape. It was later shown that human beings act the same way. They learn to be helpless.
Over many years of research, Seligman and colleagues discovered that about 30% of subjects never become helpless. The reason why, he says, is optimism. Seligman subsequently developed a means to assess responses as either optimistic or pessimistic. They discovered that people who refuse give up, have the habit of seeing setbacks as temporary and changeable. In other words, they feel they can do something about it. The researchers realised they could, as Seligman said, “immunise people against learned helplessness, against depression and anxiety, and against giving up after failure by teaching them to think like optimists.”
Over his years of research, Seligman found that the most satisfied, contented people were those who had discovered and exploited their unique combination of what he called “signature strengths,” such as humanity, temperance and persistence and developed the PERMA model of psychological wellbeing.
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EP002 What Is Resilience? An Introduction
Read The Definitive Guide To Resilience
Resilience in all domains of performance be it work, sport or otherwise, in simple terms, is said to be our personal ability to cope with, and bounce back from adverse conditions. As such, it is an important aspect of the performer's repertoire, be it considered a stable trait, or and dynamic process. (We'll discuss more on the the question of stable trait versus dynamic process later). It is resilience that helps us face down difficulties, think creatively and find solutions to problems. It's what makes us go deep and stay long, longer than most. Psychological resilience helps us endure hard training sessions, dips in business and income, death of loved ones, embarrassment and defeat while retaining the will and determination to come back for more.
If one thing is certain in life, it is change. When positive, change makes us smile. When negative, change challenges us like nothing else. The passing of a loved one, a serious illness or accident, the loss of a job, the death of a business–every situation will affect each of us differently. It brings unique thoughts, feelings and emotions to the fore, demands our attention and often shifts our mindset. Studies have shown that we adapt well over time to dramatic change, a component of this adaptation is resilience.
Carol Dweck in her 2017 book Mindset, says that resilience forms part of a “Growth Mindset”. Dweck suggests that a fixed mindset is, “believing your qualities are carved in stone,”. In contrast, a growth mindset is “the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts”.
Introduction To The Mental Game
About the content: https://humanperformance.ie/get-started/
Hello and welcome to The Mental Game, a podcast on the psychology of human performance. Whether you're just starting out on your career journey, or you a seasoned veteran, my hope is that the content here on the site helps you develop and refine the skills you need to succeed. My aim with everything I write, is to help you improve your mental game, to develop your psychological skillset and understand how your mind and body work to produce performance results. These vital skills include resilience, creativity, thinking, deliberate practice, imagery, self-talk, self-awareness and many other components involved in high-level performance. When you take the necessary time to learn and apply them, your results will change for the better.