{"id":26,"date":"2007-09-05T18:47:00","date_gmt":"2007-09-05T18:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peaksports.com\/sports_psychology_blog\/?p=26"},"modified":"2025-06-16T05:50:48","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T09:50:48","slug":"sports-psychology-do-you-crave-approval","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/sports-psychology-do-you-crave-approval\/","title":{"rendered":"Sports Psychology: Do You Crave Approval?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-6972\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/social-approval.jpg\" alt=\"Social Approval\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/social-approval.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/social-approval-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Athletes_And_Social_Approval\"><\/span>Athletes And Social Approval<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Article Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/sports-psychology-do-you-crave-approval\/#Athletes_And_Social_Approval\" >Athletes And Social Approval<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/sports-psychology-do-you-crave-approval\/#Peer_Approval\" >Peer Approval<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/sports-psychology-do-you-crave-approval\/#Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\" >Related Sports Psychology Articles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/sports-psychology-do-you-crave-approval\/#The_Confident_Athlete\" >The Confident Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>One big challenge for many athletes today is the fact that they worry so much about what others think when they perform that it becomes a huge distraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I must first say that it is important to care about other people. However it becomes unhealthy when athletes worry too much about what others think of them to the point that it distracts them from focusing on the task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In my work, we call this social <strong>approval <\/strong>or acceptance. It causes athletes to look for status from their peers in the form of respect, admiration, popularity, or wanting to fit in or be liked. Many people in today&#8217;s society crave these qualities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you worry too much about what others think, you can&#8217;t focus on what is really important &#8211; your performance! In addition, this mindset also causes you to avoid mistakes or bad plays &#8211; not a good mindset to instill peak performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I once worked with a young female golfer who I will call Lisa. Lisa lacked confidence in her game and wanted me to help her play with more confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As we talked, it became clear to me that Lisa relied on other people for her confidence. If her playing partners did not say, good shot to her after she hit a good shot, she would begin to think negatively about herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Peer_Approval\"><\/span>Peer Approval<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Her brain went into overdrive, and she assumed that her playing partners really did not like her because they did not acknowledge when she hit a good shot. She would think to herself, I guess she does not like me or maybe thinks I am a crummy player, and then proceed to lose confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, she was afraid of embarrassing herself when she played in tournaments. Her goal was to not shoot a bad number or high number for fear of what others would say to her about her game. More importantly, what would they think about her as a person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A word of caution! Be careful of making statements such as, I am a bad golfer today, I guess I am not a worthy person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s face it, many athletes want respect from their peers. But at the very least, you have to let go of what others may or may not be thinking about you when you compete. To get your head in the game, focus on what is truly important during your performance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In my next teleclass, Everyone is Watching Me! How to Stop Worrying about What Others Think, I cover the techniques needed to stop worrying about what others think to create a focused and mentally tough mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This mental training seminar conducted via telephone helps you to understand social <strong>approval <\/strong>and how to perform better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To take advantage of this satisfaction guaranteed offer and to gain access to my step-by-step mental toughness program visit: https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/. You can demo several mental toughness programs I have at my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\"><strong>online mental training website<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank You,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.,<br>Master Mental Game Coach<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-979ef383-5bc7-43ee-b8f9-249663ca1a6c\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\"><\/span>Related Sports Psychology Articles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"block-05642731-8752-4dbf-9c18-5cc4d276e821\" class=\"wp-block-list has-normal-font-size\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/social-approval-for-athletes-in-todays-world\/\"><strong>Social Approval for Athletes in Today\u2019s World<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-help-young-athletes-overcome-social-approval\/\"><strong>How to Help Young Athletes Overcome Social Approval<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/social-approval-and-distractions-peaksports-video\/\"><strong>Social Approval And Distractions \u2013 Video<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-5726d13f-f715-4ca4-8813-2f8a9ebd8bc3\">*Subscribe to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-281f5afb-980b-4c71-9aa0-11d606b5f7c9\"><strong>Download a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/mental-toughness-report-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free sports psychology report<\/a>&nbsp;to improve your mental game!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-94138e75-d591-4645-bb1d-212cf57a8841\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sport-psychology-training-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about our one-on-one mental game coaching.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Confident_Athlete\"><\/span>The Confident Athlete <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/confident-athlete-audio250.jpg\" alt=\"The Confident Athlete Audio\" class=\"wp-image-16347\" style=\"width:198px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d consists of 2 audio programs that include 14 days of confidence fueling exercises and a simple to follow workbook that guides you through the 14 days, helps you apply the strategies, and customizes the exercises to your personal needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me help you put a <strong>stop to the confidence leak<\/strong>. You can learn to have greater levels of confidence in competition than you do in practice by identifying the specific ways you undermine your own confidence and <strong>how to convert your practice confidence into COMPETITIVE CONFIDENCE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d is a ground-breaking system to teach you how to think like a champion and have ultimate self-confidence every time you step on the playing field, court, track, or course. The confident athletes was <strong>developed for any athlete \u2013 junior to professional \u2013<\/strong>that wants to gain confidence. However, coaches and sports parents can learn how to teach others to perform with ultimate confidence. Use my program if you want to bust a slump or just wanting higher or more consistent levels of self-confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-0b39f7aa\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-a74417ae gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-athlete-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-461ab57c gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/the-confident-athlete-series-digital-download\/products\/the-confident-athlete-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Athletes And Social Approval One big challenge for many athletes today is the fact that they worry so much about what others think when they perform that it becomes a huge distraction. I must first say that it is important to care about other people. However it becomes unhealthy when athletes worry too much about what others think &#8230; <a title=\"Sports Psychology: Do You Crave Approval?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/sports-psychology-do-you-crave-approval\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Sports Psychology: Do You Crave Approval?\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6971,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,10,8],"tags":[710,112,249],"class_list":["post-26","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-approval","category-sports-psychology","category-worry-about-what-others-think","tag-confident-athlete","tag-self-confidence","tag-social-approval"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.5.2 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" 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