The Construction Of Theoretical Systems Of Chinese Clinical Sport Psychology

Clinical sport psychology emerged in the United States in1980s which is a sub-discipline from intersection and influence of clinical psychology and sport psychology. It develops rapidly at the beginning of this century. Now, it is extending to other countries and becoming matured gradually. Chinese athletes and coaches are facing a big pressure with the increasing intense competition of competitive sports. Many threats of mental health problems to teachers and students happened in the physical education and some exercisers faced many psychological-related problems. However, the status of clinical psychology and sport psychology can not meet the needs of clinical sport psychologist to sports career. As the reasons above, it is very necessary to construct our clinical sport psychology.Clinical sport psychology, an burgeoning discipline, has to face the problems of its theoretical system building, thus, the examination of the experience in America, the exploration of these basic questions (including concepts, attributes, research objects, research methods, system of content, theoretical basis, and professional education), the attempt to construct the framework and contents of clinical sport psychology discipline with Chinese characteristics are not only a great importance to the development of clinical sport psychology discipline in China, but also lay a solid theoretical foundation to realize the strategy of Sport Power, and then contribute to the mental health of sportsmen and harmonious of society.This paper used the methods of content analysis, grounded theory, expert questionnaire, and deductive reasoning. Firstly, in order to know the worldwide status of clinical sport psychology, it analyzes99papers published in the Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology (JCSP) since its first issue to provide a reference for the construction of clinical sport psychology; Secondly, it analyzes680papers of clinical sport psychology in China from1981to2010to understand status and development trends of Chinese clinical sport psychology research, and lay the foundation for the construction of Chinese clinical sport psychology; Thirdly, it gathers the views on construction of clinical sport psychology of70domestic experts and scholars by the method of questionnaire. Fourthly, on the basis of the above, using the methods of grounded theory, expert questionnaire, and deductive reasoning, this paper constructs theoretical system of clinical sport psychology with Chinese characteristics by. The following conclusions were obtained.The basis of theoretical system construct of clinical sports psychology is as:1. Concepts:The scholars define clinical sports psychology which stays on description of objects, functions and professional training of clinical sport psychologist. It is not generally accepted by united definition in the viewed of narrow and broad differences.2. Disciplinary nature:The western and domestic experts and scholars generally emphasize on the essence of clinical psychology in clinical sport psychology.3. Research Object:Experts and scholars at home and abroad have different opinions on the research object of clinical sport psychology, some of them only show concern for the athletes'serious psychological problems, most of them think that the mental health and athletic performance of the majority of athletes should also be concerned; papers in Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology are more concerned about the performance dysfunction, mental health, performance impairment, and performance development of college athletes, youth athletes and high-level athletes. Papers on clinical sport psychology in china are more concerned about the performance development, performance dysfunction, and mental health of high-level athletes, professional athletes, and college athletes, but neglecting of their performance impairment, which are improving in recent years.4. Research function:Most scholars generally emphasized on the changeable function of clinical sport psychology, some scholars referred to its descriptions function.5. Methods:Foreign researchers wildly use the methods of questionnaires, interviews, psychometric testing, case studies, experimental and qualitative research. Chinese experts and scholars advocate using the methods of interviews, psychometric testing, behavioral assessment, physiological test, case study and experimental research, but they research with the methods of more theoretical analysis, psychometric testing, and survey in the actual study, seldom using the methods of case studies and experimental studies. Experimental researches are growing in recent years. Many researches on clinical sport psychology at home and abroad do not meet the requirements of the research design and methodology. The multivariate statistical analysis application uses less; no meta-analysis method appears.6. Content system:No one has discussed the content system of the clinical sport psychology. The content system of Gardner and Moore's Clinical Sport Psychology were composed of four parts, such as theoretical foundations, assessment and classification, interventions, and special considerations, but its structures are not reasonable, and generalization is not high, and is lack of internal logic of contact between various parts. Chinese experts and scholars advocate the construction of content system should focus on its research functions, base on the theory of psychopathology, and put practical knowledge and techniques of clinical sport psychology as the core. The study of foreign clinical sport psychology was in the order of mechanisms studies, the intervention studies, the status quo studies, and evaluation studies, the study of domestic clinical sport psychology in order of intervention study, mechanisms studies, the status quo studies, and evaluation studies.7. The basic theory:Integrated Model of Athletic Performance tried to explain the athletes' sports performance from the whole mechanism, but it's just a model of cognitive, behavioral and physiological on athletic performance, can not explain the causes and mechanisms of the psychological problems of sportsmen; Chinese experts and scholars advocated the integration of all kinds theories of psychopathology for the study on clinical sport psychology. The vast majority of study on clinical sport psychology in domestic and international have based on cognitive behavioral theory for a long time, this situation has improved a little in China in recent years.8. Professional education:Experts and scholars at home and abroad agree that the clinical sport psychologist should accept the clinical psychology doctoral training, and500-5500hours of clinical supervision, while accepting certain sports science training; Chinese experts and scholars advocate that the clinical sport psychology professional training model is a combination of "scientist-practitioners" and "practitioners-researchers". Most of foreign researchers are from the school of psychology (institute) and the college of sports (institute), while the vast majority of Chinese researchers are from the college of physical education (institute); researchers from the school of psychology (institute) in China are increasing in recent years,.The key points of theoretical system construction of Chinese clinical sports psychology are as followed:1. Concepts:Clinical sport psychology is the discipline of application of principle and technology of psychology to evaluate, diagnosis, understand, predict, and intervene the sportsmen psychological problems, for the alleviation and correction of their mental barriers, the promotion and maintenance of their mental health and well-being, and the optimization of their athletic performance and self-realization.2. Disciplinary nature:It is the subject that both study theories and practices. Its nature is natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. It is the combination of clinical psychology and sport psychology, but more emphasis on clinical psychology.3. The problem area:The study object of clinical sport psychology is mental disorders, mental health, and self-realization of sportsmen. The research field of view is the clinical perspective, the processing of deal with psychological problems in order of careful assessment, diagnosis, study, predict, consultation or treatment, and the assessment effect. Its problem area was mental disorders, healthy psychological problems, and developmental psychological problems.4. Research functions:The functions of clinical sport psychology are as follows: describing the sportsmen psychological problems; explaining reason and mechanism of sportsmen mental problems; predicting sportsmen mental health, correcting sportsmen mental disorders, promoting and maintaining of their mental health and well-being, and optimizing their athletic performance and self-realization.5. Methods:The research methods of clinical sport psychology including:case study, epidemiological survey, psychological test (self-report questionnaire test, other-report scale test, the instrument test, projective test), experimental method, meta-analysis, and qualitative research (depth interviews, focus interviews, physical analysis, observation) and so on.6. Content system:Constructing principles of content system on clinical sport psychology including:the principles of focusing on research functions, the principle of comprehensive, the principles of closely integrating theory and practicing, and principle of localization. Its content system consists of three parts such as the basic theory of clinical sport psychology, assessment in clinical sport psychology, and interventions in clinical sport psychology. 7. Basic theory:The theory construction of clinical sport psychology is based on theory of psychopathology, the integration of psychopathological theories of psychoanalysis, behaviorism, cognitive approaches, humanistic, biological, and Chinese psychological pathology thinking, focus on the practical problems faced by the Chinese sportsmen. It researches with the methods of combination of quality and quantity to construct the specific theory of psychological problems.8. Professional education:Clinical sport psychology practitioners should accept doctor degree training. Practitioners are trained in School of Sports, Researchers are cultivated in School of Psychology, and evidence-based managers are trained in Medical School. Curriculum system consists of three modules:scientific thinking, clinical assessment and diagnosis, and clinical intervention. Keyword:Clinical sport psychology; Construction of theoretical system; Content analysis...