What Is Human Performance Psychology?

What is human performance psychology? What are the core aspects of human performance and how can we utilise them to produce continuous improvement in life and work? How can we apply proven psychological principles to manage the stress of life, relieve anxiety, and realise superior performance in business, sport, and our careers? How can we find success and happiness in life and work?

With the help of contemporary research and established theory and practice, these are the questions that I attempt to answer. Physiology and neurology, of course, come into play and interact bidirectionally with our psychology. However, the content on The Performatist is primarily concerned with the psychological aspects of human performance. My hope is that you may use the information you find here to your advantage, and realise the success you've been seeking in your field of work.

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The Psychology of Performance

Performance psychology is a subdivision of psychology that examines psychological factors influencing optimal human performance. It is the practical application of psychological principles in domains such as sport, business and creative pursuits. Principles of performance psychology are employed to assist professionals and amateurs alike, to produce superior results often under pressure of competition, role or spectator expectation.

Differing Terms

Academics, practitioners and writers on the subject use many terms to describe the practical work and study of peak human behaviour. Umbrella terms such as performance psychology, performance science, peak performance, human performance, and so on, are often used interchangeably to capture the essence of this phenomenon. However, this growing field of study and practice encompasses many different domains of research such as Physiology, Biomechanics, Psychology, Sociology, Strength & Conditioning, Rehabilitation and Performance Analytics. Human Performance as it pertains to the psychological aspects of optimal human behaviour is what we are concerned with here.

Performance psychology can be said to be the systematic employment and application of psychological techniques and principles to human performance in many fields. For example; Art & Music, Business, Sport, Emergency Response Services, Medicine & Surgery and so on. More particularly, it applies to conditions requiring the individual, or indeed groups of individuals, to perform on cue and to a high degree of proficiency and accuracy under stressful conditions and time constraints. Therefore, any advantage that can be gained in the preparation and execution of goal-directed tasks must be taken.

Those who have taken part in sport, no matter the level, have undergone the scrutiny of academic assessment or performed on stage on a big night, will understand the importance of performing under pressure. When the stakes are high, the demand on the human organism increases to heights those of us outside the bubble can not perceive. As such, elite performers must learn and develop ways to cope with the associated stress of these high-pressure conditions. This is where the Psychology of Human Performance comes in.

A Brief History of Performance Psychology

The evolution of performance psychology in Europe can be traced back to the 1800s in Germany, Russia and France. German scientist, Hermann von Helmholtz, while strolling the golf links with Professor Peter Tait of Edinburgh University in 1871, engaged in ‘scientific discussions in the intervals of exercise’, musing on the psychology of golf no doubt (Wade & Swanston, 2001). The first formal experiment in sport psychology is attributed to American psychologist Norman Triplett in 1898. His study of social facilitation at the University of Illinois found that cyclists tended to produce faster lap times when riding with other cyclists compared to when riding alone.

Wilhelm Wundt can also be credited with early contributions to the study of human performance when he examined reaction times and mental processes in 1879. Philippe Tissié, the French neuropsychiatrist, together with Pierre de Coubertin and Paschal Grousset are credited as founders of the French physical education system. Tissié wrote extensively about psychological changes in cycling athletes in 1894. His colleague, Pierre de Coubertin was the one to put forward the first definition and promotion of sport psychology as a field of science.

From The Early Days

From these early days of research, despite obstacles and delays due to two world wars in Europe, performance psychology research accelerated. Looking back to the history of our disciplines, while sport, exercise, and performance psychology evolved and developed as distinct disciplines in Europe, sport and exercise psychology research appear to be stronger than performance psychology.

Research advancements in sport and exercise psychology led to the establishment of the European sport psychology organization (FEPSAC) in the 1960s. It served as an umbrella establishment that would accept the cultural and linguistic borders within the continent. In the US, the mid-1960s marked the birth of modern-day sport psychology. However, it wasn't until the late 80s that the US Olympic team employed a sport psychologist in preparation for the games. The late 1960s saw the rapid growth of psychology in US physical education. The establishment of the broad themes that today define performance psychology. Themes include motivation, perception, attention, memory, performance anxiety, individual differences, motor skills, motor learning, aggression, psychological skills training & interventions, social cognition and team dynamics. 

A Definition of Performance Psychology

In Performance Psychology: Perception, Action, Cognition, & Emotion ¹ Nitsch & Hackford offer a three-part definition of performance psychology. They suggest that the psychological perspective on performance comprises the following aspects;

1. The psychological fundamentals of performance-oriented activities in various action domains such as labour, politics, arts, music, or sports.
2. Psychological transfer effects of performance-oriented activities. In particular, regarding personality development, self-esteem, time management, stress control, communication skills, and so on.
3. Optimisation of the capability to achieve demanding tasks.

The authors suggest that this definition allows for the various ways human beings work individually and collectively towards the achievement of particular results. It allows for individuals, groups, organisations, those with disabilities, the young and the elderly.

This definition of performance psychology includes different motives and domains of activity. It includes academic, professional activities, sports and exercise, housekeeping, performance arts, and strange endeavours such as that we'll find in The Guinness Book of Records.

It also includes the pursuit of health and wellbeing and all other aspects of a successfully self-managed, self-determined life for which the individual is responsible. This definition of performance psychology also included the various ranges of proficiency from expert to novice and everyone in between.

In their comprehensive account of the psychological perspective on human performance ², Rabb et al. suggest two functional aspects of performance.

1. Performance as a means to an end – that is, to achieve a particular measurable result.
2. Performance as an end in itself – that is, to do the work or activity for its own sake.

With all content here on The Performatist, we will have both these aspects in mind.

The Psychological Components of Performance

Complex human performance can be examined, influenced by, and improved from many psychological perspectives. As such, subdisciplines of psychology have been examining these individual components for some time. For example, general psychology more broadly describes the complexities of individual emotion, perception, action and cognition. The cognitive aspects include memory, attention, problem-solving, and language processing. And there are indeed many more. The Performance Psychology Coach seeks to link these separated subfields of psychology to explain and improve an athlete's performance.

Consider a point attempt by a GAA player or a penalty attempt by a No. 10 in Rugby. Here the performance psychology coach looks at how the player's visual perception leads to specific actions. And how perhaps negative emotion may influence dysfunctional thoughts and affect the desired outcome. They will examine how the player's own subjective experiences change their perception and judgment. And ultimately, their in-the-moment decision making and subsequent results. Preparation is key. Understanding how the various psychological components play out in the experience of the player is vital at the highest level of human performance.

The Work of The Performance Psychology Coach

The Performance Psychology Coach examines mental factors influencing the optimal performance of individuals. Athletes, business people, emergency response personnel, stage performers, medical practitioners and any other profession that requires high-level performance under pressure. They utilise established psychological principles of performance to assist professionals, and novices produce consistently superior results in their chosen field. As such, performers can develop an understanding of the subjective factors influencing their results. Factors such as stress, pressure, decision making, resilience, grit, confidence, cognition and perception. Perhaps most importantly, they offer the performer proven strategies to prepare sufficiently and cope under pressure.

Amongst others, the performance psychology coach employs interventions such as inner reflection, meditation practices, Psychological Skills Training (PST), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), and consultation & coaching, to help develop in the performer, those mental states required to produce optimal performance and equip them with cognitive skills required to overcome and triumph in challenging environments.

The psychological structures that lead to successful or unsuccessful performance are similar across domains. Whether it's music and the arts, business and entrepreneurship, academia, emergency response services, sport or otherwise. Understandably, however, there are many differences in required skill, physical and cognitive abilities across these domains. But the broad body of research seems to suggest that the underlying psychological structures determining performance outcomes have comparable attributes.

In Conclusion

The pursuit of perfection drives many of us to exceptional performance. However, this pursuit often comes at a significant cost to our mental health. Success is enjoyable but it doesn't last, and the pursuit of higher highs often results in burnout. Self-compassion, therefore, is a vital component in the performer’s armoury. It is the performance psychologist's job to assist the performer in building their defences.

In sport and fields of elite performance, physical pain and injury are inevitable. Emotional pain is also a factor. But it isn’t the experience or the environmental conditions that should determine our emotional state. It is how we react to it that is the key. In this, there is required a deeper sense of self, one that can withstand the turmoil of the work.

For example, consider an artist in her attempt to create her painting. In this work, there is a significant psychological challenge. Or consider the 5000-meter runner or the Olympic boxer hitting the gym or the track every day. For these performers, there is a constant traversing the continuum of good and bad, win and lose, success and failure.

Ultimately, the performance psychologist helps the individual build a stable self under the demands of the game. In that relationship, we must remember that although we take our work seriously, it's just a game. It's the playing of the game that matters most. Perhaps paradoxically, when we disconnect from the need to have results turn out a particular way, when we engage in the work for its inherent enjoyment, success may occur.

1. Nitsch, J. R., & Hackfort, D. (2016). Theoretical framework of performance psychology: an action theory perspective. In Performance Psychology (pp. 11-29). Academic Press.
2. Raab, M., Lobinger, B., Hoffmann, S., Pizzera, A., & Laborde, S. (Eds.). (2015). Performance psychology: Perception, action, cognition, and emotion. Academic Press.