Bewitched by our words: Wittgenstein, language-games, and the pictures that hold sport psychology captive

Abstract

Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) was arguably one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century. Despite previous interest in philosophical approaches (Corlett, 1996), and the value given to philosophy in relation to applied practice (Poczwardowski, Sherman & Ravizza, 2004), almost no attention has been given to Wittgenstein’s works in sport psychology. In this article, we suggest that our discipline frequently suffers with conceptual confusions and misunderstandings driven by our unintentional misguided use of language. Through the philosophical thinking of Wittgenstein, we explore the tacit language-games and the pictures that hold thinking captive within sport psychology, and attempt to provide an alternative lens through which researchers and practitioners can view the discipline. By drawing on Wittgenstein’s philosophy, and the methods of previous psychologists whose works were shaped by Wittgenstein (e.g. Watzlawick, Weakland & Fisch, 1974), the wider implications for applied sport psychology and the training of practitioners are considered.