Towards a critical social sport psychology

Abstract

Traditionally, Sports Psychology has been sustained from the cognitive behavioral perspective of the discipline. This approach has guided its work on the cognitive "psychological skills" of athletes, basing their work on objectivity and neutrality. This article proposes a critique of the cognitive behavioral perspective of Sports Psychology through a comparison with Social Critical Psychology of Sport. This contrast was made according to six dimensions: ontology, epistemology, object of study, vision of subject, approach and methodology. Finally, it is suggested to rethink the role of sports psychologists; develop a theoretical body that allows to generate new questions that facilitate the approach of new problems; and to reinterpret traditional techniques and to build new ways to intervene in practical work with athletes, teams, coaches, and other sports subject.