“Ask me to play. I’ll play. Ask me to shoot. I’ll shoot. Ask me to pass. I’ll pass. Ask me to steal, block out, sacrifice, lead, dominate. ANYTHING. But it’s not what you ask of me. It’s what I ask of myself. -LeBron James

We aspire for social approval in all that we do, from publishing only positive or desirable aspects of a game on social media, by buying the latest and greatest gadgets in an effort to ‘keep up with the Joneses’, to working on the next style of dunk, even though it still only counts for two points.

Social approval is defined as the positive appraisal and acceptance of a person by a social group, and is especially apparent in sports. With a good mental game, mental toughness can be strengthened by a healthy longing for social approval, but can hinder performance when not used to one’s own advantage.

The attempts for social approval are all around us, and define the current landscape of social interaction.

To a basketball player, a social group spans a wide range of people, from coaches and teammates, to parents and friends, to fans across the globe.
Social media has expanded even the youngest basketball player’s social circle, and likes, views, and shares have become our quantitative measures of social approval.

These measures can positively affect basketball confidence when paired with strong mental toughness, as long as we, in the end, stay true to our goals and work ethic.

The need for social approval, particularly the approval of those closest to us, has been known to be at least in-part responsible for both positive and negative effects on sports performance.

With strong basketball mentality this approval (and drive to earn it) will lead to improved basketball confidence and performance.

Emotions too can depend significantly on the approval of players’ peers, and have an ability greatly to affect performance.

We see this on a regular basis, through the use of ‘trash talk’ running up the court, in the triple threat position, or as a player goes up for a jump shot, in an effort to affect one’s emotions and infiltrate their mental game.

When used effectively, trash talk on and off the court can take hold of an opponent’s emotions, and translate to negative performances in-game. With a strong mental game in basketball, you can learn to use an opponent’s jawing as inspiration to take your game to the next level.

Hundreds and thousands of highlights are uploaded each day to be viewed and judged by strangers who are quick to offer an opinion on a basketball player’s performance. Only so much attention should be paid to these faceless assessors to ensure strong basketball mental toughness, as their approval is not needed for on and off the court performance.

It takes a strong mental game in basketball to stay true to your goals, as an unhealthy need for social approval can lead to improper conduct on and off the court. A high need for social desirability correlated with over reporting and inaccurate self-evaluation of performance in physical activity.

A person is only as good as their word, so let the basketball do the talking.

While in some circles not caring is regarded as a key to success, when it comes to basketball mental game, the greatest players would disagree. A healthy pursuit of social approval can build a player’s confidence in basketball, and in life.

A basketball player can find the greatest satisfaction in the small things, like a high-five from a teammate, or a pat on the back from that stern coach. At the end of the day, true mental toughness comes from within and is developed over time, and with it a player can perform at their best.

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