Applying Reversal Theory

 

Reversal theory can be used to explain why differences in sports performance occur. Anxiety can be converted to excitement easily (Apter, 1989). Hedonic tone of some people will cause some individuals to view particular sports as unpleasant, so high arousal environments will lead to feelings of anxiety. Hedonic tone can change when individuals have given the sport a chance and gain positive personal experiences from participation. Shift in personal views about sport and physical activity can cause individuals to interpret high levels of arousal as pleasant and feel excited about playing.

 

The arousal felt by individuals may decrease as their confidence in any given sport increases. So even in a highly difficult or dangerous sport an individual who is in the telic state of mind can be relaxed because their arousal levels are low. If an individual can stay as relaxed as possible in high pressure situations then they are more likely to be successful. If this situation is reversed and a person is feeling high levels of felt arousal because their confidence is low then they feel anxious. Being anxious about a situation will lead to people feeling nervous and less likely to perform well in pressure situations.

 

When working with students in the classroom you would avoid having major outcome expectations on students. When outcome expectations suddenly look out of reach, individuals are going to have high levels of felt arousal and view the situation as unpleasant and feel anxious in the classroom (Kitsantas & Zimmerman, 2002). Teachers need to create an environment where felt arousal levels are low so students can feel relaxed in the classroom in order to gain positive experiences. Controlling the general tone of the classroom is also very important. Making sure students are on task and not over aroused. This will help control the excitement levels in the classroom. If excitement levels do not suit the context of the class then student will start to feel bored. This would obviously be a bad outcome for the teacher and the student.