AASP Newsletter - December 2016

Written by Natalie Durand-Bush, PhD, and Poppy DesClouds, MHK, University of Ottawa on behalf of the AASP Dissertation Award Committee

Introduction
Dr. Mustafa Sarkar is the 2016 AASP Dissertation Award recipient. Through his innovative doctoral work entitled, The Assessment of Psychological Resilience in Sport Performers, Dr. Sarkar developed and validated the first sport-specific measure of resilience. The detailed, systematic approach that Dr. Sarkar used throughout his dissertation has resulted in a comprehensive, multifaceted measure of resilience that exemplifies cutting edge research in the field. All the while, Dr. Sarkar has remained deeply considerate of the practical applications of his work. The following is a compelling and candid account of Dr. Sarkar’s remarkable sport and academic experiences.

Mustafa Sarkar, PhD – A Narrative
I had a fantastic upbringing and participated in many sports. During adolescence, I specialized in cricket and whilst I was a good cricketer, I wasn’t the best player in my age group. Physically and technically, I was talented, but psychologically, I did not have the characteristics of a typical elite athlete. In particular, I had trouble dealing with criticism and feedback, which is one of the reasons I became interested in the psychology of sporting excellence. Specifically, I wanted to know what enabled some athletes to withstand – and even thrive on – pressure and attain peak performances whereas others, including myself, succumbed to demands and under-performed. I know now that a core facet of this ability is psychological resilience.

I pursued undergraduate studies in Sport and Exercise Science at Loughborough University. Following this three-year program, I completed a one-year Psychology Conversion Course at Middlesex University, which led me to study resilience and thriving in high achievers (see Sarkar & Fletcher, 2014a). I returned to Loughborough University to do a one-year Master’s degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology and developed a grounded theory of psychological resilience in Olympic champions (see Fletcher & Sarkar, 2012). To further advance research in this area, I identified the need to develop a sport-specific measure of resilience to test and predict levels of resilience across large populations, which ultimately laid the foundation for my PhD.

Interestingly, my path to the PhD was not a straightforward one and challenged my own resilience. I first applied to university to study law since I was convinced that pursuing ‘traditional subjects’ was the most (socially) desirable path to take. However, as a result of not getting accepted into any law schools, I further reflected on my career and decided to pursue sport science (and subsequently sport psychology). Early on, at university, I still regarded sport psychology as a ‘non-traditional’ discipline and I pushed myself to perform to my potential in order to prove the worth of the subject matter. I have now come to believe that success is derived from striving to be the best that you can be in the area(s) that you most want to study. The subject matter does not dictate your success; rather, it is your passion for the subject that is most imperative. Being passionate about your work helps you to overcome career obstacles and find solutions.

I tapped into this passion on many occasions throughout my PhD. I invested extensive hours and learned to positively adapt to setbacks and critiques of my work. As most would know, academia is often accompanied by a climate of competitiveness that can be taxing at times. To stay grounded and focused on my own work, I consulted with peers and mentors. Although easier said than done, I adopted the sport psychology principle of “controlling the controllables”. I aimed to manage what was within my power, particularly my strong worth ethic. Dr. Fletcher, my PhD dissertation supervisor, played an important role in the development of my resilience, and to this day remains a valuable resource. He helped me stay true to my passion and desire to innovate.

I am proud that we did something unique with our measure of psychological resilience in sport performers. I trust in the ability of this measure to enhance our understanding of resilience in athletes, since I took a very systematic, rigorous, and comprehensive approach to carry out the research. To illustrate, I conducted extensive literature reviews and took psychometric lessons from studies in general psychology (see Sarkar & Fletcher, 2013, 2014b). Furthermore, in terms of the measure itself, I involved expert panels of athletes, coaches, and sport psychologists to inform our approach. Importantly, most existing measures of resilience adopt a unidimensional, trait perspective of resilience. Our multifaceted questionnaire is different and allows us to get insight into the three fundamental components of resilience namely stressors, protective factors, and positive adaptation. While the research has strong theoretical and methodological foundations, it has important implications for practice. For example, we have created an evidence-based framework for developing resilience that can be used for resilience profiling when working with athletes (see Fletcher & Sarkar, in press). My ultimate hope is that both scholars and practitioners will use the measure in their future research and practice. As with any new questionnaire, the development and validation process was a challenging endeavor and I am excited to see how our resilience measure will stand up in future studies with different samples, sports, and cultures.

Broadly speaking, I feel that researching resilience has proven to be an invaluable experience. I would advise young scholars aspiring to be exceptional in this field to actively seek challenging experiences that test their mindset. Pressure and setbacks are ubiquitous in academia. Seeing adversities as opportunities and deriving benefits from setbacks are key to succeeding in the field. I also recommend attending various conferences such as AASP. AASP conferences allowed me to uncover the importance and usefulness of networking. Don’t be afraid to go talk to people you noticed in your readings, as in the end, you could be working or collaborating with them. I am now on the AASP Research Development Committee and the Editorial Board of the Case Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology (CSSEP) journal. These formal roles allow me to continue developing professionally and give back to our field and to AASP.

Conclusion
To conclude, Dr. Sarkar’s narrative shows that becoming an outstanding scholar is challenging, but those who are willing to take challenges head-on can truly thrive. Resilience, passion, and commitment to hard work were key factors that contributed to his success, along with strong mentor relationships and peer networking. Dr. Sarkar, both an AASP Master's Thesis and PhD Dissertation Award recipient, has made a significant contribution to the field by producing an innovative, multifaceted measure of psychological resilience in sport performers. From both his personal experiences and his research to date, he has taught us that resilience in sport and academia are essential for succeeding at the highest level.

References
Fletcher, D., & Sarkar, M. (2012). A grounded theory of psychological resilience in Olympic champions. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 13, 669-678.

Fletcher, D., & Sarkar, M. (in press). Mental fortitude training: An evidence-based approach to developing psychological resilience for sustained success. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action.

Sarkar, M., & Fletcher, D. (2013). How should we measure psychological resilience in sport performers? Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 17, 264-280.

Sarkar, M., & Fletcher, D. (2014a). Ordinary magic, extraordinary performance: Psychological resilience and thriving in high achievers. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 3, 46-60.

Sarkar, M., & Fletcher, D. (2014b). Psychological resilience in sport performers: A review of stressors and protective factors. Journal of Sports Sciences, 32, 1419-1434.