Ideological Factors Influencing the Soviet Union’s Investment in Sport Psychology

doi:10.1017/9781009348133.007

Chapter 7 - Ideological Factors Influencing the Soviet Union’s Investment in Sport Psychology

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 May 2025

Ahlam Lee

Samuel Eshleman Latimer

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Ahlam Lee: Affiliation:
Xavier University

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Summary

Physical education in the Soviet Union, initially focused on health and military readiness, shifted toward producing athletes for international competitions by the early 1950s, peaking in the 1970s/1980s. This shift led to increased investment in sport psychology. To analyze this history, particularly the use of sports to promote communist values, and challenge other political systems, I synthesized peer-reviewed articles using keywords like "Soviet Union," "sport(s) psychology," and "Puni." As social scientists, we decided to analyze this specific history with an emphasis on psychological theories to better understand how the Soviet Union’s communist ideology impacted scientific study within the Soviet Union and sports competition abroad. Thus, I explored the life of the most prominent sports psychologist in the Soviet Union, Avksenty Cezarevich Puni, and his theory of Psychological Preparation for Competition (PPC), which serves as an example of the Soviet Union’s approach to applied sports. Additionally, I examined how Soviet Olympic successes spurred investment in sports and sport psychology, reflecting efforts to compete with the West and asserting the superiority of communism.

Keywords

competition sport sport psychology Soviet Union Puni Psychological Preparation for Competition

Type: Chapter
Information: Questioning Conventional Assumptions of Competition Dynamics , pp. 183 - 194

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009348133.007 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2025

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