Dr. Jesse Steinfeldt is a Sport Psychologist and Professor at Indiana University. His research interests center on the intersection of multicultural psychology, sport psychology, the psychological study of men/masculinities, and social justice issues. Primarily, my research focuses on the psychosocial development of student-athletes, which includes investigations of gender role socialization, racial and athletic identity, and psychological well-being (e.g., adjustment, body esteem, help-seeking).

A sports psychologist is a professional who specializes in the mental and emotional aspects of sports performance. They help athletes enhance their mental skills, cope with pressure, and optimize their performance. They provide athletes with strategies to manage stress, improve focus, build confidence, and develop a winning mindset, ultimately contributing to their overall success and well-being in sports.

To start Dr. Steinfeldt goes through his background before Casey asks if men's tendency to suppress emotion can get taken out of sports. This sparks a conversation on masculinity in sports where the guys go through what pressures are applied to boys, what age those pressure start at, and the future harms it may cause down the line. Moving on Casey asks how to properly manage your emotions in sports before Josh asks if the physicality of the sport correlates to the amount of masculine pressure and if CTE is a factor. Next, the guys talk about the pros and cons of sports including if the lack of sports participation is contributing to loneliness today and if some sports are better for you than others. Switching gears Casey asks what kind of harm overbearing parents are causing their kids in sports before asking about the effect of participation trophies. Next, Josh asks how the mental health landscape has changed in pro sports before discussing how mental health can affect performance and how to properly deal with pressure. To conclude the guys ask if confidence is genetic or not and ask Dr. Steinfeldt about the field of sports psychology including its potential impact on kids and daily life.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:04 - Dr. Steinfeldt's background
4:35 - Translation of emotion in sports to life
7:40 - When do masculine pressures in sports start?
9:35 - Future harms of masculine expectations
11:09 - Managing emotions in sports
12:23 - Does physicality/masculinity correlate?
14:15 - Is CTE a factor in emotional management?
16:05 - Will football go away?
18:31 - Do the pros outweigh the cons of sports?
20:27 - Lack of sports and loneliness
23:17 - Are certain sports better than others?
25:30 - Parental influence/performance pressure
29:35 - Indicators of sports talent
30:41 - Participation trophies
33:21 - Mental health change in pro sports
36:42 - Mental health and performance
39:04 - Dealing with pressure
41:16 - Is confiden

________________________________
Full, video episodes and clips available on YouTube (@SharedExps)!

Please help support us by reviewing and sharing our episodes! To keep updated, check out the Instagram (@SharedExps), Facebook (@SharedExps), and Tik Tok(@SharedExps).

Check out Josh's Book HERE

If you have questions that you'd like answered on the podcast, you can reach out via email at [email protected].

Disclaimer: The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk.