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History of APA Division 47
Below is an edited excerpt of a presidential message that appeared
in the first Division 47 newsletter. This message is highlighted in
the current newsletter because it provides an historical perspective
on the development of the division. Given the recent 10-year
anniversary of our division, this information seems particularly
relevant today.
"August 24, 1986 can be viewed as a key date in the history of
North American Sport Psychology. On this date at the APA Council of
Representatives Meeting in Washington, D.C., the Council voted to
support "Item 25"-the proposal to form a "Division of
Exercise and Sport Psychology" without a single statement of
opposition. Thus, came Division 47 to APA! What started as an
interest group of 25 or 30 individuals has become a division with
over 1000 members and student affiliates.
The Exercise and Sport Psychology Interest Group was formed during
the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association held in
Washington, D.C. in 1983. During the subsequent three year period a
steering committee was formed; bylaws were developed; several
hundred members of APA became affiliated with the interest group;
over 500 members and fellows of APA signed a petition supporting the
formation of a Division of Exercise and Sport Psychology; a
newsletter was published; and symposia dealing with sport psychology
topics were offered at the APA Convention through cooperation with
Divisions 1, 13 and 38. The focus of professionals and students in
this field of specialization is quite diverse, and scientific
inquiry, as well as clinical applications have historically cut
across the interest of many existing divisions. Individuals working
in this area come from sub-specialties within psychology such as
developmental, educational, clinical, counseling, industrial,
comparative, physiological, social, personality, hypnosis,
motivation, human factors, ergonomics, and health psychology.
Although professionals and students in this area represent numerous
specialties within psychology, they are bonded together by a common
interest in sport and exercise. In other words, sport and exercise
were the unifying forces in the development of this division. Some
individuals are concerned with research issues and applications
involving competitive athletics, and some even restrict their
attention to elite athletes who perform at the national and
international levels. However, an equal number focus on the study
and application of exercise and sport in noncompetitive settings.
These individuals, for example, study exercise and sport from the
perspective of motor development and motor learning; compliance
recidivism; the aging process; prevention of various psychic and
somatic disorders; personality structure and high-risk occupations
(e.g., firefighters) and recreational pursuits (e.g., scuba and sky
diving); and cellular adaptations at both the peripheral and central
levels.
The term sport can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adjective. For
this division, it is used as a noun. This decision follows the
European lead where sport can be viewed as competitive athletics; a
source of diversion; recreation; or physical activity engaged in for
play. In other words, sport involves much more than competitive
athletics, and this is the reason why the terms exercise and sport
are both included in the division's title. The terms exercise and
sport are intended to broaden the Division's scope."
William P. Morgan, Ed.D., F.A.C.S.M.
Sport Psychology Laboratory
University of Wisconsin-Madison
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