Abstract

While focusing on the psychological domain, this chapter is based on the premise that an integrated approach is required for understanding talent development. Psychology does not provide the authoritative means to produce knowledge about talent development. However, psychology may help us to view the athlete as a 'whole' person rather than merely a 'performer.' This discipline may also help us to understand more about salient mental characteristics and inter-personal experiences associated with talent development. In these ways, psychology plays an important role in producing an integrated approach to talent development. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief overview of trends in sport psychology talent development research. By presenting select aspects of research in a broadly chronological order, the reader should be able to grasp some of the principle research agendas, ideas and findings that provide the fundamental knowledge base in this area. This review is by no means exhaustive, but it should provide a thoughtful expose of some important issues that sport psychologists have grappled with in their search for sporting excellence. Aus der Einleitung