THE PRACTICE OF SPORT AND EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY

Background Information

The case relates to David, a 40-year-old individual with a sedentary lifestyle. David has
low self-esteem and, as such, low perception of himself and his body. While he goes for long
walks with his dog, there is no indication of organized physical activity. There is a close
correlation between physical activity and both mental health. David exhibits the intent to engage
in more organized physical activities but is not able to do so because of his psychological
problem. With no treatment and motivation, David does not think he can break away from his
routine and start a new way of life that includes exercise.  
Problem Description

David is faced with psychological problems and thinks that he would not consistently
attend the gym. The problem is further complicated by the low self-esteem and perception of his
body. As such, there is the risk that he would continue with the sedentary lifestyle. The lack of
physical activities is a significant setback for enhancing David’s wellbeing. Even with no regard
to his weight and health conditions, a sedentary life often triggers complications such as diabetes,
obesity, and heart complications. Despite the overwhelming benefits of physical activities,
people like David remain timid in enrolling in gym activities. He has created mental barriers
about him participating in sports, and they push him further away from participating in sports.  
At 40 years, it is apparent that David would be moving to the older-people bracket in
the next ten years. The age bracket would also be marked by reduced physical activities and
increased exposure to health complications. There is simply less physiological motivation and
rationale for engaging in physical activities. Shedding cognitive problems and obesity may
positively shape one’s image. Muscles’ weaknesses and osteoporosis are also common problems

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that are associated with inactivity. It is thus necessary for David to participate in exrcise
activities in order to stay healthy. The restriction to just walking means that David’s
physiological function will continue to decrease with time. 
Based on the provided information, it can be argued that David is also suffering from
frailty. Frailty is a geriatric syndrome that leads to the deficits of boy systems. Although the
condition can be linked to different factors, it is equally attributed to inactivity. Reduced mental
and physical capabilities further accompany frailty. In David’s case, he experiences
psychological problems of dealing with his body image. Therefore, he feels inferior compared to
other people and may require treatment to get back to a shape he desires. 
 David’s lack of belief in himself is caused by anxiety and lack of confidence. He is not
used to entering unfamiliar places such as gyms and does not think he would be able to do it
consistently as he had never done it before. He perceives himself as not fitting with the gym
culture and has a perceived poor body image. David’s low perception of himself stems from body
dissatisfaction, which further demoralizes him from exercising, which he often thinks about.
Body image refers to the image formed by an individual about his body, which is subjective to its
characteristics (Weinberg & Gould, 2018). The nature of the image created by one about his
body will affect his health and emotional health behavior such as psychological stress, personal
social adaptation, and inter-personal relationships.   
When one has a perceived lousy body image of himself, all they think about is the
adverse effects that come with it from the risk of developing health complications to mental
disorders that end up inhibiting participation in physical activity. Research has found that there is
a strong correlation between body satisfaction and the degree of participation in exercise or
sports (Scarpa, 2011). A positive body image has been proved to be associated with a higher

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degree of sports participation. In contrast, a negative body image about oneself had an inhibitory
effect on the involvement in exercise and sporting activities. Exercise behavior has been shown
to emanate from exercise motivation, derived from satisfaction, people’s recognition, and
attitudes. A good body perception about oneself makes one better show themselves out there
hence m them to exercise more (Ryba et al, 2013). It is more of like a reward system. The higher
the self-efficacy, the higher participation in sports and vice versa. 
Intervention Justification

For one to be actively participating in exercise or sporting activities, there are many
physiological processes involved. Anxiety, tension, depression, and low self-perception may
inhibit tones participation in exercise. In David’s case, several interventions could be applied to
ensure that he manages to increase his desire to be more physically active and take part in
exercises. One of the responses is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This is a form
of empirically-based psychological intervention that uses acceptance and behavior change
strategies to increase mental flexibility (Hayes, 2016). Self-acceptance can be defined as positive
evaluations of one and one’sone’s past life. The patients are asked to stop avoiding, struggling, or
denying certain feelings, but instead, accept those emotions and move forward with their lives.
The clients then endure their tribulations and commit to changing their behavior regardless of
what happens in their life. 
While ACT is used in a myriad of conditions that require therapy to treat depression,
psychosis, anxiety disorder, and drug abuse, it is also beneficial in David’s case of low self-
perception. The theory behind ACT is that psychological experiences and emotions should not be
suppressed or controlled as it could be counterproductive, leading to more distress. ACT holds
that there are other alternatives to the way one thinks, such as committing to action, practicing

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mindful behavior, and paying attention to personal values. Through experiential exercises, clients
learn how to make good contact with feelings, memories and thoughts, and physical sensations
that had been feared and avoided before. 
Another intervention is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a psychotherapeutic
treatment that assists patients in learning the destructive thought patterns that harm emotions and
one’s behavior. Negative thoughts have a detrimental influence on mood, and CBT focuses on
changing the negative thoughts that could worsen emotional difficulties (Rothbaum, 2000). CBT
is a problem-specific and goal-oriented approach that would require the active participation of
David for it to work. It is also time-limited as the number of therapy sessions are set out when
starting, and the principles that one learns can apply for the rest of their lives. 
The theory behind CBT is that feelings and thoughts actively influence the behavior of
a person. CBT aims at teaching people acceptance of the environment they find themselves in as
they cannot control every aspect of the world around them (Tang & DeRubeis, 2009). It
emphasizes the interpretation of the things that happen around us. It merely allows one to
identify negative thoughts, practice new skills, and then proceed gradually. 
Another intervention is the ABCDE framework, which stands for Airway, Breathing,
Circulation, Disability, and Exposure. The framework aims at performing a systematic
assessment of any critically unwell or deteriorating patient and the intervention process (Marikar,
2017). This approach of checking improves the clinical outcomes of a sick patient, even without
the definitive diagnosis. This intervention approach would not be suitable for David as he is not
critically ill as the strategy is aimed at maximizing the chances of keeping the patient alive. 
David’s case does not need long term treatment as a little bit of training would bring back his
confidence and enable him to exercise like he wants to. ACT is a useful technique that can help

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David, but it does not emphasize behavioral change like CBT. CBT would be the best
intervention approach to David’s problem as it is focused more on practicing new behaviors.
CBT can be thought of as a combination of psychotherapy and behavioral therapy. While
psychotherapy examines the personal meanings we place on things; behavioral therapy connects
our behavior and the thoughts we make. CBT could be personalized for David with impressive
results; hence it is the best choice. 

Delivery of Intervention

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), CBT is a collaborative
therapy that requires one to work closely with their therapists for a given period. After this
period, the person learns to become their therapist. CBT is first about gaining an understanding
of one feeling and how they affect their behavior. It then aims to challenge and change the
person’s person’s view of the situation, consequently improving the behavioral process as well.
This means that CBT will aim to transform David’sway of thinking to become positive so that
positive thinking would influence him to behave positively and enable him to go to the gym.  
In this case, the intervention is aimed at increasing the frequency of physical activities
as a way of promoting healthy aging. It is worth noting that the focus is not just on physical
health but also on David’s mental state. The success of the program is anchored on having a well-
structured exercise plan. The plan would highlight the activities under each level and the benefits
that come with the events. The other consideration relates to keeping track of the progress and
identification of areas that require improvements. 
For the intervention to be a success, it shall require David to attend twenty sessions to
improve his perspective towards himself and about exercising by going to the gym. The sessions
will be weekly spread out across a period of five months. Since CBT has a structure, it will

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highly assist in measuring the performance outcomes of the intervention. At the beginning of the
therapy, David will meet a therapist and discuss the specific issues encountered and how he
wants them to be. From there together, they will set goals that they would like to work towards
and the expectations after the therapy. For David, the main issue will be his low perception of
himself and his body and why he does not work on his desire to be more physically active. 
From the goals discussed, the therapist and David will decide the main topics they want
to work on every week and the content of the sessions. Each session will have its smaller
agendas as well as analyzing the previous week’s performance. The progress made in the last
week will inform the other week’s activities plan (Gustafsson, Lundqvist & Tod, 2017). David
will have to collect data on his incidences related to the therapy. Together with the therapist, they
will examine the thoughts and feelings surrounding the incident to know how to cope with a
similar kind. This organized structure of therapy will ensure time is utilized correctly, and both
parties are well aware of the nest issue at hand. 
Since the sessions’ structuring is done with help from both parties, David will be able to
understand various principles that he finds helpful. These are the principles that will enable him
to continue his treatment by himself at the end of the sessions. To instill new skills in David, the
negative thoughts that contribute to him having a low self-perception will have to be identified.
This will help him self-discover and provide insights on what could be contributing to his
maladaptive behavior. From here, David will have to start practicing new skills and rehearse
ways of avoiding situations that would trigger him to revert to his old self. With practice, he will
progress gradually and eventually should find the new changes to be part of his healthy
lifestyle.  

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Evaluation

To evaluate the intervention’s effectiveness, we shall have to look at the changes that
occur in David’s life. To determine this, we shall use qualitative and quantitative methods to
assess the impact of the intervention. On the quantitative aspect, we shall look at David’s limit of
attending the gym three times a week. He says he does not see himself in achieving that. If David
manages to participate in the gym three times a week, then we can calculate the percentage of
CBT’s effectiveness in his life. Accoering to Biddle et al.(2001), by including a Comparative
Psychotherapy Process Scale (CPPS) in the study, we can measure the trueness to the therapy
form.
A qualitative measure to determine the impact of the therapy will be the client’s level of
satisfaction. A high rate of satisfaction would indicate a high effective rate of the treatment. The
therapist can also estimate the significant improvement in David. A correlation can be calculated
between the level of satisfaction by David and the therapist’s perceived level of development. A
positive relationship indicates a high effective rate for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. 

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References

Biddle, S. J., Markland, D., Gilbourne, D., Chatzisarantis, N. L., & Sparkes, A. C. (2001).
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Gustafsson, H., Lundqvist, C., & Tod, D. (2017). Cognitive behavioral intervention in sport
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Hayes, S. C. (2016). Acceptance and commitment therapy, relational frame theory, and the third
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Marikar, D., Mann, J., Lewis, G., & Roland, D. (2017). G283 (P) Graphics in sim training
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