ISSP position stand: Social missions through sport and exercise psychology

Abstract

Sport psychology is expanding in how it might be utilised to benefit human activity and social life. Performance enhancement remains central to the field; however, there is growing interest in how sport psychology practices and sport contexts can be crafted to enable social missions. The classification of social missions through the context of sports might vary from one sport development agency or scholar to the next, and could relate to health and well-being, sport for peace, social development, disease prevention, and positive youth development. This position stand has been conceived to situate the International Society of Sport Psychology within sport for development for the betterment of people in communities, countries, and regions. This ISSP Position Stand is structured into a historical overview of sports as social missions, sport for cultural exchange and social justice, sport for health and well-being, sport for positive youth development, sport for peace, and postulations and recommendations. © 2015 International Society of Sport Psychology