There is a psychological theory out there that stipulates that all of our behavior can be put into two basic categories.
We either behave to get something we want or we act in order to avoid something that we don’t want.
Sigmund Freud called this the pleasure/pain principle.
We seek pleasure and stay away from pain, whether or not we’re conscious of this motivation. This theory, applied to golf psychology, has very real application to you as a golfer.
The players who think the best in the game are those who have a picture in their mind of the type of shot they want to hit.
“I want to hit a draw, starting on a line toward that tree through the fairway”
“I’m going to roll this downhill putt so that it dies right in the hole”
“I’m going slow my tempo down so that I can put a smooth swing on the
ball”
Those who aren't as successful, often fill their mind with pictures or words describing what they’re trying to avoid.
“Don’t hit it left here”
“Don’t blow this by the hole or you might be looking at a three-putt”
“Don’t start the club so far inside”
“Stop swinging so darned fast”
While avoidance motivation can be very powerful, it has fear as its primary influence.
Performing at your peak when confronted with fears is a difficult task to achieve on a consistent basis, no matter what the talent or
skill of the player.
The challenge for all of us in golf (and life!) is to keep our thoughts and pictures in our minds on the things that we desire.
This motivation is healthier for the psyche, easier on the blood pressure, and more likely to produce the results over time that we’re working toward.
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