Represented by the Psychological Mechanisms

¶ … represented by the psychological mechanisms which lead some people to exercise on a regular basis as well as by the reasons which keep others away from sports and physical activity.

The purpose of the paper is to understand who are the people who get engaged in physical activities and sports. The goal is to comprehend why the same activity (or better said life style) is loved by some and hated by others. In addition, I would like to understand what are the psychological effects of sports upon people and the psychological factors which can actually impact sport performances. As far as the poeple who hate sports are concerned, the research wishes to see if there are such elements which could motivate them to do more physical activity. As far as athletes are concerned, the paper is focused on understanding what are the stimuli which lead them to surpass their physical limits and reach outstanding performances.

Background: The already existing research in the area claims that physical exercise has a positive impact upon people -from both a physical and psychological point-of-view. It is also known that performing sports in outdoor contexts, especially in the middle of natural environments supports the state of well being. As far as the intensity of the physical activity required reaching this state, this is moderate. At this point it becomes clear why some people choose to practice sports.

Scope: The argument is wide, but the main part of the research will focus exclusively upon the pros and cons that people have in mind when they have to take up a life style which includes physical exercise.

Theoretical framework: the paper will use the theories according to which physical exercise is good for the mind and the body and those which argue that taking up and practicing sports are actions based on education and expectations. The creation of expectations in people through communication campaigns (which fundamentally try to sell one thing or another) is one of the elements that the research will take into consideration.