Pressure

Pressure is the psychological stress associated with expectations to perform well in a situation. For example, an athlete might feel pressure before they compete for a medal in the Olympics or a student may feel pressure before a big exam. Pressure can be real or perceived and other individuals or entire groups can create pressure in someone. A parent can elicit pressure by wanting their child to perform well on a test or thousands of sports fans can elicit pressure by expecting an athlete to score the winning point. Some pressure and stress can actually be good for performance- research shows that an optimal amount of stress can make you perform better. But too much pressure and stress can lead to a worsening performance and even freezing or choking up. Confidence and proficiency can affect whether or not pressure is beneficial or harmful to performance.