Paradoxical intention in tennis…

Anticipatory anxiety is a topic studied in logotherapy; a faction of psychoanalysis developed by Viktor E. Frankl. He gives a very concise example while discussing this in his book ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’. An individual who is afraid of blushing when he enters a large room and faces many people will actually be more prone to blush under these circumstances. It is fascinating to note that there is an exact opposite paradoxical nature that exists in human beings which is called hyper-intention. An example of this is, the more a man tries to demonstrate his sexual potency the less they are able to succeed.

Logotherapy attempts to solve this condition through a method called ‘paradoxical intention’, basing on the twofold fact that fear brings about that which one is afraid of and that hyper-intention makes impossible what one wishes. The procedure requires the use of the specifically human capacity for self-detachment. A demonstration of this method can be drawn from a case described by Viktor Frankl in the book. A young physician consulted me because of his fear of perspiring. Whenever he expected an outbreak of perspiration, this anticipatory anxiety was enough to precipitate excessive sweating. In order to cut this circle formation I advised the patient, in the event that sweating should recur, to resolve deliberately to show people how much he could sweat. A week later he returned to report that whenever he met anyone who triggered his anticipatory anxiety, he said to himself, ‘I only sweated out a quart before, but now I’m going to pour at least ten quarts!’ The result was that, after suffering from his phobia for four years, he was able, after a single session, to free himself permanently of it within one week.

But how are all these relevant in tennis? If thought about in depth, both anticipatory anxiety and hyper-intention comes into play during a game of tennis. An easy put-away shot during an important point can raise doubt in the mind of the player with the upper hand microseconds before he makes the shot. A fear of not making the routine shot creeps in and results in a disaster. Again, hyper-intention of placing the ball at a certain place on the court can result in lack of focus on the process jeopardizing the intended outcome.   

Then, how to apply the method of ‘paradoxical intention’ in such a case. First, let us take the issue of doubt. When the fear of missing a shot inches into the mind, maybe one can change the mindset suddenly and hyper-intend to hit the ball into the net. This could potentially solve the problem given that there is no physical constraint against it. However, as mentioned before this requires a certain amount of detachment from the self which means one must remove himself from that feeling instantaneously, focus on the process and reverse the mindset to trump the initial emotion, which is applicable to hyper-intension as well.