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Careers, education & training Rituals and religion help
footballers cope Superstitions can help footballers control
their anxiety before a game. That is the finding of research
presented at the British Psychology Society Annual Conference,
held at the Grand Connaught Rooms, London this week. Patrick
Ofori from the University of Stirling interviewed 10 members of
the Ghana team taking part in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South
Africa about their superstitions and religious experiences.
These included both formal religious rituals and individual
superstitions like a lucky mascot Comments from the players
included, “My prayers give me self-belief in my abilities and
confidence to play without fear", and “I feel really good any
time that I do them and am able to play well too.” The
interviews were transcribed and then analysed using
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. This is a technique
for discovering how individuals make sense of their personal and