Stressors And Their Causes Among Girls Volleyball Players

Introduction

            Sports are mostly activity-oriented phenomenon and generally involve skill, strength, speed, endurance, training, physical and mental toughness of the participants. In the way of struggle for domination in performance, player put their complete energies at stake to dominate in performance. In this process outclassing the rival, player often faces critical moments and sometimes confronted to stressful and traumatic condition. This type of situation serves as the causative factor for the creation and development of stress. In other words, play and stress are inevitable as they are intermingled. They both go side by side particularly when domination in a competitive situation is at stake. Stress has two-way effect it may be positive and negative as well. However, in most cases stress works as the driving force for showing outstanding performance in the field of action and winning the honour in the activity.

Taking tress or becoming serious for doing any important assignment, obtaining some sort of special position or getting something special has been a common phenomenon of everyday life.

           According to a most popular viewpoint, high standard performance at elite level is difficult without hardworking, commitment and taking stress for attaining the desired target. According to physiology of human organism, the occurrence of stress has been automatic and certainly falls beyond the will and control of the person. Stress and life are indispensable either it is a matter of daily undertaking, any particular field or field of sports. However, nature, intensity and outcome of the stress vary from person to person, situation to situation and case to case. The critical is the situation the higher is the nature and intensity of stress and vice versa. Sports and stress have long been associated. The way of handling and managing the stress also vary from person to person and situation to situation. In perspectives of sports, the term stress is defined as the constrained and tense mental state of the player caused as a result of the opposing or challenging environment asking for higher level of performance. The strained position before, during or after the activity is commonly known as stress. Psychologically speaking, identifying and locating the causative factor for stress will certainly lead towards the better management and handling of the real stress. So for as the sports stress is concerned, it is caused by a number of factors. It generally includes lack of training, injury, bad performance, trust deficit, poor response from the fans and followers, fear of defeat and the like other psychological, physical, emotional, administrative and financial reasons.

            Sports encompass a variety of activities which are mostly full of action, thrill, joy, excitement, entertainment, hurt, shock, disappointment and stress. Maintenance and improvement of the physical and mental capabilities and providing entertainment of the participants are the ultimate objectives of participation in sports. Sports prepare the participant for the active and full practical life which is in conformity with the values, traditions, social & ethical norms, social structure and prevalent rules and regulations of the society. Different types of activities of sports and games have been at the disposal of each and every individual. And it has been the principal distinction of the sports that it offers participation opportunities to each and every person irrespective of the age, social class, gender discrimination, financial status and caste. The chart of the sports activities has been quite wide enough and one can easily find the activity of his/her choice in the wide-spread list of the practical activities.

           The ups and downs of sports work as the lesson for the participants and guide them to a successful and productive practical life. As a matter of common observation, practical interaction and personal observation of the players with each other provides most useful avenue for the training of the players for the real life. Team-sports, individual sports, indoor-sports, out-door sports, competitive sports, recreational sports, physical sports, mental sports, electronic sports, water sports, space sports, mountain sports, ball sports, racket sports and automobile sports are the different forms of sports activities. The activities of sports can equally be observed in the air, on the mountain, in the water, on the planes, in the halls, on the tables and on the roads. The ultimate purpose of all these activities is welfare and benefit of the participants.

Literature Review

            Psychologically speaking, like all other living things, the life of humans have always been subject to variation in terms of natural and physical, mental, social, emotional, financial, environmental and behavioural changes. Human response to different types of changes at various fronts has been a natural phenomenon (Reynoso-Sánchez et al., 2016). Activities of diverse nature appear in the life of each individual which may be a source of entertainment, amusement, joy, recreation or pain, frustration, grief, disappointment, tension, stress and the like many more other (Lope-Fernández & Solis-Briceño, 2020). The process of human interaction with multifarious nature of activities always in progress in coping with these factors and bringing the things in line with his own thinking and desire. During dealing with the environment, man is likely to confront to conflicting situation causing the feelings of stress which appears in shape of psychological human response to the demand of the opposing situation (Holguín-Ramírez et al., 2020). Demand of the difficult situation itself is regarded as the stressors causing the person to be uncertain about the outcome of their efforts. In this type of situation, physiological parameters of the body become abnormal and in many situations pale face, perspiration and rapid heart rate are the common manifestations of stress (Cherup & Vidic, 2019).

            This is universally acknowledged and experts have consensus upon the fact that stress is naturally associated with all activities demanding for special performance including sports (Kaufman, Glass & Pineau, 2018). Players are more likely to face stressful environment in the struggle for domination in performance. Facing the stress and coping with the stressful situation has been the routine activity of player’s life. Stress and performance of the player are closely associated and it profoundly depends upon the coping and tackling capability of the player to deal with the stress and take it as part of the game and not allowing it to affect the performance. Immediate and timely stress is the most common types of stress which normally appears while the player is waiting for his turn to appear in the activity and get the result of the activity. It may be of longer duration depending upon the consequence of a number of events taking place one after another till the final stage arrives (Chiesa & Serretti, 2009).

           Literature has revealed that the term stress initially used for expressing the feelings of distress, discomfort, uneasiness, danger and sadness for the first time in Seventeenth century (Madigan, et al. 2019). With the passage of time, the same term underwent refinement and was refined in Nineteenth century used for expressing the output of extreme pressure or influence upon a person or an object (Lim et al., 2014). At present the term stress is taken as the global phenomenon meant for the final product of the negative and overwhelming outer demand affecting performance of the person (Zautra, Sturgeon & Okun, 2014). So for as human physiology and psychology is concerned, happening of stress in everyday life has got vital significance in terms of the fact that it examines a person’s ability of coping with a variety of difficult and demanding situations.

            Amongst the factors responsible for the onset of stress in the workers, the role of workload is on top of the list of the prevalent factors followed by working environment and financial reward offered to the workers (Schwarzer, Cone, Li, & Bowler, 2016). Workings either in public or private sector and prevalence of stress in one or the other way have been part of the game. In addition to the above, longer working hours, pressure of the superiors and polluted working environment are the main hazards which alternately cause stress in one way or the other. There a number of other factors associated with the workplace which play dominating role in the onset of stress. Technological hazards, un-friendly working environment, harsh style of dealing and health issues are common factors responsible for the stress among the workers. Diseases and other health complications may be attributed to stress as a result of increased workload or ill treatment at the workplace (Pozzi et al, 2015).

Objective of the Study

            The following objective was framed for this research study:

To explore the stressors which develop stress among girls Volley Ball players of different colleges of district Rahim Yar Khan.

Hypothesis

Girls Volley Ball players of different colleges of district Rahim Yar Khan will be confronted to different stressors.

Discussion

            This specific study explore that stress is a situation which affect the performance in a negative manner. Data analysis reveals that the college players are confronted to the stress either before, after competitions or during match. Competition is also an external stimuli which develops stress and feelings of stress. Cicchetti, (2015) also described that stress is personal,

            Psychological and emotional reaction against stimulus.

           Findings of this study corroborate with the study conducted by Williams & Berenbaum, (2018) who also found a number of stresses affecting performance of the players and putting negative impact upon the overall result of performance. Their study revealed that injury and illness, pressure of competition, the referee and conflict with the coach have also been the causes creating stress among the players of Zimbabwe. Findings of the in-hand study are almost similar to the findings of the study made by them in 2014.

     The stressors observed here among the college players are psychological, emotional, physical, social and environmental. In the same manner stressors are identified by Liu & Kia-Keating, (2018) by studying the responses of the athletes of Jordan University. He found that injury and illness (physical stressors), pressure of competition (Psychological stressors), referee, conflict with the coach (Social Stressors), and spectators (Environmental stressors) are observed there which are also in line with the findings of the present study.

Conclusion

           From the findings of the present study it is concluded that there are a number of stressors which work as causative factor for the onset of stress among girls Volley Ball players. These factors include performance edge of the opponents, personal and team’s poor performance, continuous mistakes committed during the competition, selfish behaviour of the players, partial behaviour of the referee, uncertainty of selection, change in playing position, poor fitness level, previous failures, extra ordinary demands of management, expectation of people and new playing venue. Major stressors discovered from the study include mental stressors, Psychological stressors and Emotional stressors. The players were given six options and in all the cases players reacted the same way expressing stress. Therefore, the hypothesis is rejected and the study concluded that there is stress perceived and confronted by college players. Hence the proposed hypothesis is accepted that girls Volley Ball players of different colleges of district Rahim Yar Khan will be confronted to significant stressors.