Great Course - Psychology of Performance

What it’s about

The Psychology of Performance is a tour through modern sport and performance psychology that overturns the myth of innate talent and shows that excellence is built through deliberate practice, clarity of values, and mental skills anyone can develop. Drawing on acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness, self-determination theory, and decades of research, Dr. Eddie O'Connor teaches readers to stop fighting their thoughts and feelings and instead accept them, focus relentlessly on what they value, and commit to action 'no matter what.' Along the way he tackles the dark sides of performance—anxiety, choking, perfectionism, burnout, injury, and disordered eating—and the social context of teams, fans, parents, and aging athletes. The result is a comprehensive, evidence-based playbook for being your best in sport, art, business, and life.

The through-line

Who it’s for

A performer—athlete, artist, professional, coach, or parent—who wants to consistently be their best and reach excellence in what they care about.

The problem

Inconsistent performance, choking under pressure, plateaus, anxiety, burnout, injury, and the gap between their effort and their results. They feel held back by negative thoughts and emotions, self-doubt, fear of failure, and the belief that they may simply lack the talent to succeed.

The plan

1. Discover that talent is overrated and commit to deliberate practice with specific goals, focus, and feedback.
2. Clarify your values and translate them into linked short- and long-term, process and outcome goals.
3. Build mindfulness and acceptance to relate differently to thoughts, emotions, and pain.
4. Develop core mental skills: motivation, imagery, confidence and self-talk, focused attention, and routines.
5. Guard against performance barriers—anxiety, perfectionism, burnout, injury, and body-image pressures—with self-compassion and recovery.

The payoff

Consistently high performance under any condition, with greater poise and focus. · Internal motivation, resilience through adversity, and freedom from being ruled by thoughts and feelings. · Healthier striving for excellence with self-compassion, lower burnout, and faster recovery from setbacks and injury.

See our guide

• Understand Human Behavior From The Foundational Canon →
• The Four-S Discipline — One System, Four Capabilities →
• Study People And Organizations With Scientific Rigor →
• The Behavioral Science Underneath It All →
• Build A People Analytics Function →
• Design The Organization And Change It →
• Do Research That Holds Up →
• Design Surveys People Answer Honestly →
• Understand What Drives Individual Performance →

Related profiles we’ve built

• A Theory of Human Motivation →
• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion →
• Invisible Influence_ The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior →
• Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade →
• Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition →
• The basic principle of people analytics learn how to use hr data to drive better outcomes for your business and employees →
• Handbook of Regression Modeling in People Analytics →
• An Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization →

Additional reading

• Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise · Ericsson, A., and R. Pool

  Referenced in Lecture 2, this book provides the foundational research and popular explanation for 'Deliberate Practice,' a core concept for skill development discussed in the course.

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An Experiential Approach to Behavior Change · Hayes, S. C., K. Strosahl, and K. G. Wilson

  Referenced in Lecture 5, this is the seminal text on ACT, the therapy model that underpins the book's Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) approach to handling negative thoughts and feelings.

• Flow in Sports · Jackson, S. A., and M. Csikszentmihalyi

  Referenced in Lecture 13, this book is a key resource for understanding the concept of 'Flow' or 'being in the zone,' which the course identifies as a core component of peak performance.

• The Team Captain’s Leadership Manual · Janssen, J.

  Referenced in Lecture 21, this manual is the source for the practical 'Team Captain's Leadership Model' that the course presents as an effective framework for athlete leaders.

• Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself · Neff, K.

  While the book cites Neff's 2003 article, her full book (found via her website, also cited) is the most comprehensive resource on self-compassion, a key skill for resilience discussed in Lecture 16.

• Positive Pushing: How to Raise a Successful and Happy Child · Taylor, J.

  Referenced in Lecture 23, this book provides extended guidance on sport parenting, a topic the course covers in detail, advocating for a supportive yet achievement-oriented approach.

• The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance · Mumford, G.

  Referenced in Lecture 4, this book offers a practitioner's perspective on applying mindfulness to sport, directly supporting the course's emphasis on mindfulness as a foundational performance skill.

Featured in these guides

• Understand Human Behavior From The Foundational Canon →Cited source
• The Behavioral Science Underneath It All →Cited source
• Build A People Analytics Function →Cited source
• Design The Organization And Change It →Cited source
• Study People And Organizations With Scientific Rigor →Cited source
• Do Research That Holds Up →Cited source
• Design Surveys People Answer Honestly →Cited source
• Understand What Drives Individual Performance →Cited source