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If you want to learn more, you may consider to visit
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A number of years ago in the movie "Airport" a passenger asks for a little light reading at which
point the stewardess hands him a one page leaflet of "Jewish-American Sports heroes". Everyone
laughed. And, yet, that is reality.
I'm an anomaly. I'm Jewish. I like to think of myself as reasonably successful and well educated.
I'm Jewish. But I also ran track and played football in high school. I'm Jewish? And I was All-
Pacific Coast as a defensive tackle in college. I'm Jewish?? And I was a P.E. teacher and the
head football and swimming coach at a local high school. Now you're probably thinking, "No
wonder he went into psychology. He needed help with his Jewish identity. But the effects must still
be there because in addition to regular clinical work, he does sports psychology."
Let's go back a few years and stereotype. There you are at the end of junior high or the beginning
of high school. You're a chubby little kid who does reasonably or terrifically well in school and has
gotten used to being pushed around a little bit. No big deal. Your emphasis was on education. You
made everyone very proud at your Bar Mitzvah. But you were intimidated by all the jocks at
school, so you either avoided them, or hung on as a wannabe, or dabbled in sports a bit. Maybe
you were the tall, gangly kid who looked like, in today's terms, a "geek." Your parents rewarded
you for academic or creative or business endeavors. Tom Kowalski's parents, Juan Gonzalez's
parents, William Jackson's parents rewarded those boys, in one way or another, for being tough
and macho and physical, for going out for sports and succeeding. But Irving Goldsteins's parents,
when questioned by the coach as to why they would not allow Irving to go out for football, even
though he was 6'1", 200 lbs. responded, " Becuz dets not sumting a nice Joosh boy does. Let de
uders beat each uder up. Mine sohn vill be a dawkter and has no time for dat! Gut bye!!" So you
grew up being at least a little intimidated by physical prowess because our culture and religion
preaches that education is next to Godliness, and it leaves little time for any physical endeavors-
"Nicht mit der handt!". And even if you were considered tough among the Jewish kids, you were
still no match for the "real" tough guys. So you exerted your force through student council, or the
debate club, and gravitated to others like yourself.
This grated on you for a very long time. And whether you consciously knew it or not, you had to
make up for it in some way. In psychological terms you developed a reaction formation. You
compensated for this feeling of inadequacy. A liability became an asset. So you became a) a hard-
nosed negotiator, feared and revered in business circles or b) an entrepreneur so that you could
use your bravado or c) a doctor or lawyer or some other self-employed professional so that you
were automatically at the top and didn't have to fight for respect or d) a top notch salesman so that
you could use your finely honed verbal skills or e) some other position that insulated you from
what you were ultimately still afraid of. Some of you avoided sports completely, some dabbled; all
the while blaming other if you did not make it. Some turned to material things to prove themselves,
like the big thick gold chains with the enlarged chai to prove yourself and all other Jewish males.
And many of you made it vicariously through your children, some, unfortunately, becoming the
ultimate "little league parent."
Yet even with a de-emphasis on the physical aspects of Jewish life in this country, we love to hear
about "Little Israel" kicking someone's hindquarters all over the Middle East. "There!! That'll teach
you to mess with a Jew!!
As a people we've become afraid of physical pursuits. Why? Are the mind and body separate?
Can't the two be compatible, and isn't that the healthiest situation? Allow me to discuss not merely
the informative aspects of sports psychology, but the benefits to our children. Judaism teaches
that we are to pass down our teachings to our children. Why not pass down something new that
we have learned?
Sports psychology actually deals with two issues. One is that of a person with problems that have
detracted from his or her performance, whether that be poor concentration or the inability to cope
with stress. The other is that of the individual who utilizes yet another tool toward an increased
performance. This individual does not have a problem. He or she only seeks to improve the
psychological aspects since sport has been labeled "90 % mental and 10% physical."
Today we recognize that social life is always in the process of change and development.
Relationships are ever-changing as people move in and out of the lives of others. Prior
psychologies dealt more with the isolated person, and the recent focus has illuminated the idea
that the self rests within the larger circle of society. What we see and do in the world, as well as
within ourselves, is shaped by the interactions with the many people in our lives.
Entering into this emerging area comes the field of sports psychology. Athletics is an intensified
microcosm of social psychology, yet with many of its own rules, regulations, and, of course,
problems. While social psychology alone deals with the individual and her or his interactions with
the group, the social psychology of athletics deals with a triad - the individual, the team, and the
crowd. Whether sport should hold the position in our society that it does is probably debatable.
That it, in fact, does hold a revered position is not a contestable point. No other aspect of society,
other than business, has an entire section of every major newspaper dedicated to it. No other
events stir the emotions like the traditional rivalries that occur on all levels of sport. Even for the
crowds, the socialization process occurring during athletic events is quantitatively more, and is far
more intense, than the average person is exposed to.
In dealing with athletics one needs to examine all the various aspects of the social psychology.
The advocates of sport have for years suggested that the positive aspects of camaraderie,
common goals, and team identity are carried over into everyday life. In their endeavors to promote
their ideas, they, of course, have failed to mention that the negative aspects, such as substance
abuse, a win-at-all-costs ethic, and the dehumanizing effects, are also often carried over. Perhaps
the infatuation with sport stems from the early Greeks and before. But one thing is certain. The
whole world, even the world of academia, appreciates a superior athletic performance. The lives of
the top athletes are closely monitored, and they often become national heroes, exemplified by
Babe Ruth, Joe Di Maggio, Pele, Nadia Comanici, Tiger Woods, and Michael Phelps, to name
only a few. Muhammed Ali became somewhat of an unofficial ambassador for the United States
as a result of his career.
The athlete actually goes through each process of social psychology twice, once on an individual
basis and once on a team identity basis. Self-inquiry must take place in both individual and team
psyches for the end result of a cohesive performance to be successful.
The normal pathologies that are present in society are also present on a team and very often
magnified because of pressure. Such factors as prejudice in race, ethnicity, religion, sex roles, and
age are all problems. Each piece needs to be worked on, polished, and then integrated into the
whole. An outstanding team is actually greater than the sum of its parts. The team provides the
environment for the individual to flourish and grow. That growing individual then has an obligation
to add to that extra dimension of espirit de corps. One does not function successfully without the
other. So athletics becomes the perfect practice ground for a broader social knowledge.
Every study done on the subject of survival in time of stress, particularly war indicates that, by and
large, those individuals who have had exposure to athletics stand a much greater chance of
making it. The survival rate among those having been involved in athletics during WWII and the
Korean War was almost double. If you examine those who have had the drive to really make it in
business, most have had a good background in athletics at some level.
So if this is the case - if athletics can contribute so much to the development of a person - why
have the Jews been one of the last groups to utilize this vehicle? The health spas are full of people
trying to create or recapture that good image of themselves because ultimately they will perform
better in all other aspects of their lives. Studies now indicate that working out is a major means of
coping with depression and stress. Athletes in Action is a Christian organization that takes
successful athletes and provides positive role models for their children to relate to. Why should
they be allowed to corner the market? Don't we owe it to those who will follow to provide as many
tools as possible for success? Certainly, I'm not suggesting that athletics is a panacea for
everything, but it is another valuable tool.
I conclude by telling you that not long ago I talked with someone in our midst now about this very
situation. The response was that "The Big Machers" in the Federation would not support such an
idea. And lest I be accused of being sexist, let me say that I strongly advocate the same stance for
our women. As it becomes increasingly more difficult to succeed in this society, we owe it to
ourselves to take advantage of all possible means with which to become successful. And, last but
certainly not least, the time has come for a change if for no other reason than the Jewish youth of
today can no longer relate to the short, stout, kid with glasses and a kippah that can deal only with
academia and is afraid of his or her own shadow.
Copyright 2009 Yellen & Associates All rights reserved.
Dr. Andrew Yellen is a parent, former educator, and clinical and sports psychologist in private
practice. He is also the co-founder along with his wife Heidi Yellen, M.A., B.C.E.T., of Yellen &
Associates (http://www.yellenandassociates.com), a southern California firm providing
psychological, educational, speech, and language services.
Currently pioneering advances in the field of Brain Electrical Activity Mapping, Dr. Yellen has
augmented the accuracy of psychological assessments by offering the latest technological
advances of Digital EEG Spectral Analysis (DESA) to schools, rehab clinics, attorneys, sports
organizations, and our injured veterans.
Dr. Yellen has appeared nationally on television as well as giving commentary on local television
and radio stations. He is the author of The Art of Perfect Parenting and Other Absurd Ideas and
co-author of Understanding the Learning Disabled Athlete and Social Facilitation in Action. His
books are available for purchase through his website. For further information, personal
consultations or speaking engagements, he can be reached at (818) 360-3078
Article Source:
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==== ====
If you want to learn more, you may consider to visit
http://evolutionary-psychology.net/
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