Major Projects of Division 12 (2006-2010)

Basically, the projects of Division 12 are concerned with three topics. The following is a brief description of the projects stated in the Message of the President, Yuri Hanin included in the January issue of the 2007 Newsletter:

• Inter-divisional cooperation in research & application. Usually under an umbrella of sport psychology different aspects are studied: social psychological, organizational, educational, personality, assessment, performance enhancement aspects. Our division members can benefit from launching joint projects on mutually attractive topics. For instance, Emotions and Optimal Performance in Different Settings, Dynamics of Motivation, Career Transitions, Cross-Cultural Aspects in Sport Psychology. An outlet of these efforts could be presented at the 2010 Melbourne Congress.
  
• Improving the links with the regional Sport Psychology societies and organizations. Division members who are regularly participating in the meetings of International Society o Sport Psychology (ISSP), European Federation of Sport Psychology (FEPSAC), Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP), North American Society for Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA) and other national SP organizations could play an important role in the further development of our international links with leading researchers and practitioners in different countries. These efforts can help the Division to plan invited symposia, workshops, and panel discussions representing the best practices from different regions of the world in the program of the Melbourne Congress.
  
• The IAAP Visibility project. Our division can play an important role in supporting a call from the IAAP President Mike Knowles for promotion and better visibility of applied psychology. Specifically, competitive sport, and especially elite and professional sport, has by its nature already high visibility in the media and interest of public at large in what sport psychologists working with elite performers are doing. Recently, in Europe (FEPSAC - Paul Wyllemann) and USA (AAASP - Jack Lesyk) two interesting promotional projects related to the Athens Olympics were initiated and I believe these experiences could be useful in the development of a more proactive approach to professional work with the media. Moreover, colleagues from other divisions may benefit by joining our Division’s efforts for enhancing their own visibility.