519 | Connection Matters: The Impact of Attachment on Individual Motivation, Performance, Resilience, and Flourishing in Sports and Life

There’s no question that the sporting arena has become an important and essential aspect of every culture and society. In this age of a sports explosion, individuals now use sports as a source of entertainment, pleasure, and opportunity to give meaning to one’s personal life and as an outlet from personal hardship. However, while participating in sports can produce many benefits and opportunities, there is growing awareness of the unique stressors, pressures, and expectations facing today’s athletes. In this workshop, psychologists, licensed mental health professionals, and ministry leaders will identify factors within the sporting arena that not only exacerbate the mental health disorders and illnesses among athletes but also elements that have been proven to promote and sustain wellbeing among athletes including attachment and its impact on athlete motivation, performance, resilience, and flourishing. Attachment bonds including parental, peer, God, and coach attachment will be explored and considered. Additionally, concepts such as earned attachment, interpersonal neurobiology, the compensation hypothesis, and a more comprehensive understanding of human flourishing will be presented and processed in depth to more comprehensively understand the importance of relationships developed later in life and their influence on elite athletes.