Making Space for the Subjective in an Objective World.
The title of this article, This is Personal, has a double meaning.
First, it is personal in the sense that I will be revealing something about my own professional philosophy – something that happens to differ from the dominant perspective in applied sport and performance psychology.
More importantly, it is personal in the sense that my departure from the mainstream happens to lie precisely in the direction of advocating for a more personal approach to performance consulting.
In this article, I begin the process of challenging the common but misguided idea that performance psychology (or psychology in general) is akin to a “hard science” in which the truth and utility of ideas is completely determined by “objective” evidence.
As an alternative to the positivist paradigm, I propose a more holistic, qualitative approach to both research and practice that honors the inherently subjective and deeply personal nature of both performing and consulting.
The person behind the performer
The prevailing perspective in sport and performance psychology suggests that, unless there is some obvious psychological problem, athletes and performers can effectively be treated as if they were machines as inert as their equipment. The role of the performance consultant, then, is reduced to downloading a collection of mental skills that have been shown to reduce distraction and increase focus in the face of various performance pressures.
By having access to these mental skills, as the theory goes, performers are less likely to be adversely affected by stressful circumstances so that they can more reliably deliver a performance that is on par with their previously established standard. This sounds great in theory and in some cases produces adequate results.
The problem with such a reductionistic approach, however, is that it often fails to account for the omnipresent and unpredictable human element in performance. All performers, including world-class athletes and performing artists, are first and foremost persons who have unique stories that need to be witnessed and understood. Like the rest of us mere mortals, they too are embedded within a complex web of relationships and subject to the same basic human needs of security, love, belonging, esteem, and purpose.
Watching the seemingly larger-than-life performances of our cultural heroes from the comfort of our couches, we can easily forget their basic humanity; that is, until a story breaks exposing a scandalous extramarital affair or ongoing struggle with substance abuse, at once precipitating an Icarus-like fall from grace that serves as a sobering reminder that no accumulation of cultural status will render one immune to the trials and tribulations of living.
The person behind the consultant
Turning the magnifying glass around for a moment, I must also be prepared to acknowledge my own humanity. As a mental performance consultant, the primary tool of my trade is my Self – my own unique psyche, shaped by the knowledge acquired, experience gained, and lessons learned over the course of a lifetime exploring what it means to be human and trying to understand the intimate relationship between the mind and performance. As such, I openly acknowledge and embrace the impact of my own subjectivity, for better or worse, on the delivery of consulting services.
Unlike many consultants who attempt to hide behind a veil of psychological skills training that is somehow supposed to provide an unassailable perch from which to dispense their objective knowledge, I choose instead to examine and be transparent about the ways in which my personality and professional philosophy will inevitably shape the consulting relationship.
Amidst the diverse landscape of sport and performance consulting, perhaps the most distinguishing feature of my practice is the adoption of what might be called a holistic approach to service delivery that emphasizes the importance of developing the whole person. Because people tend to practice and perform in much the same way that they live, performance consulting should therefore aim at helping athletes and performers develop the sort of self-awareness and psychological flexibility that transcends context and produces excellence not only in specific performance domains, but also in relationships and life in general.
Going deeper…
My approach is also informed by the so-called depth approaches to psychology, which go beyond surface level thoughts and behaviors to examine the deeper motivations behind our goals and actions. While basic psychological skills for managing performance anxiety certainly have their place, a complete approach to mental training should also aim at addressing the underlying sources of performance anxiety rather than merely managing the symptoms.
To be clear, my philosophy should in no way be misconstrued as a criticism of scientific objectivity. In me, you will find no foe of evidence and reasoned argument. To the contrary, my academic background is actually rooted in elementary particle physics and mathematics, two of the most hard-nosed areas of human inquiry on offer.
I am not asking you to hop aboard the woo-woo train here. You can rest assured that I am not going to talk about chakras, give you crystals, or ask you to wear magnetic bracelets. I am simply arguing that the attempt to have a purely objective science of human performance is a fool’s errand.
Human behavior is far too nuanced and textured to get any sort of objective foothold using so-called “quantitative” data from self-report surveys and Likert scales. Subjectivity then, rather than being avoided at all costs, should instead be embraced as an indispensable source of data regarding the idiosyncratic needs of performers that can be used to inform the selection of appropriate strategies to target those needs.
Summing up
In this article, I have shared my view of performance as an inherently subjective and profoundly personal endeavor, highlighting the need for a more holistic approach to performance consulting that acknowledges the critical role of meaning-making and complex social relations in determining how a particular individual will interpret and ultimately respond to performance pressure.
Not to be taken as a devaluation of science or positivistic modes of inquiry, the overarching message of this article is simply one of integration and acceptance of multiple ways of knowing in an attempt to counterbalance the tendency toward reductionism and exclusivity that has historically characterized the field of sport and performance psychology. Qualitative research and holistic practice are thus proposed not as rivalrous alternatives to the current paradigm, but rather as complementary additions.
The question of the role of subjectivity in science is a broad topic, and I will have much more to say regarding the epistemological foundations of applied sport and performance psychology in future posts. As always, I welcome any and all comments or questions on this post as I view open dialogue as one of the most efficient and effective ways of sharpening our collective thinking.
If you would like to learn more about my consulting practice, click here to visit my website at ripeminds.com.
With you in the pursuit,
Dr. Dave
