ABSTRACT
This chapter utilizes a number of the “fundamental self-talk questions” to guide the way through the self-talk in sport literature. It focuses on providing a deeper understanding of both the “what” of self-talk – that is, the nature of the phenomenon – and the “how” of using self-talk and an understanding of self-talk to improve experiences in sport. Sport psychology researchers have taken a variety of approaches to categorizing and understanding different types of self-talk. For instance, some researchers have focused on descriptive categorizations which put research into categories based on features such as emotional valence, function, or overtness. Information processing approaches highlight the ways in which people experience self-talk. System 1 self-talk occurs almost spontaneously as an in-the-moment reaction. System 2 self-talk requires mental effort.
