Anger has often been suggested to be debilitative to sport performance (Isberg, 2000). Conversely, Harpold et al. (2011) observed that anger may in fact be a facilitative factor in helping Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters experience optimal performance. Moreover, Woodman et al. (2009) found when angry, extraverts' peak force increased more than introverts. In concordance with these findings, Murphy (2005) mentions a significant need to better understand the effects of anger during sport performance. Thus, the purpose of this study was to use qualitative methods to existentially understand the phenomenological experience of anger as it pertains to competitive mixed martial arts fighters during combat. The research question for this investigation was “What is the lived experience of anger as used by competitive mixed martial artists for competitive fighting matches?” Main themes found included anger being facilitative, anger being debilitative, and a clear and controlled mindset being the ultimate goal. Co-participants responses portrayed a constant interaction between the facilitative and debilitative uses for anger. This interaction was moderated by the calm and controlled mindset as being the ultimate goal.
","abstract_html":"<p>Anger has often been suggested to be debilitative to sport performance (Isberg, 2000). Conversely, Harpold et al. (2011) observed that anger may in fact be a facilitative factor in helping Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters experience optimal performance. Moreover, Woodman et al. (2009) found when angry, extraverts' peak force increased more than introverts. In concordance with these findings, Murphy (2005) mentions a significant need to better understand the effects of anger during sport performance. Thus, the purpose of this study was to use qualitative methods to existentially understand the phenomenological experience of anger as it pertains to competitive mixed martial arts fighters during combat. The research question for this investigation was “What is the lived experience of anger as used by competitive mixed martial artists for competitive fighting matches?” Main themes found included anger being facilitative, anger being debilitative, and a clear and controlled mindset being the ultimate goal. Co-participants responses portrayed a constant interaction between the facilitative and debilitative uses for anger. This interaction was moderated by the calm and controlled mindset as being the ultimate goal.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Jewell, Skylar E"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Kinesiology (M.S.)","degree_level":"Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)","degree_discipline":"Department of Health and Kinesiology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Brandonn Harris","Trey Burdette"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:27:52Z","subjects":["ETD","Anger","Mixed martial arts","Controlled Mindset","Facilitative","Debilitative","Sports Studies"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1104","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Brandonn Harris","Trey Burdette"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Jewell, Skylar E"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-04-16T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Health and Kinesiology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Kinesiology (M.S.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["ETD","Anger","Mixed martial arts","Controlled Mindset","Facilitative","Debilitative","Sports Studies"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1104"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Anger has often been suggested to be debilitative to sport performance (Isberg, 2000). Conversely, Harpold et al. (2011) observed that anger may in fact be a facilitative factor in helping Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters experience optimal performance. Moreover, Woodman et al. (2009) found when angry, extraverts' peak force increased more than introverts. In concordance with these findings, Murphy (2005) mentions a significant need to better understand the effects of anger during sport performance. Thus, the purpose of this study was to use qualitative methods to existentially understand the phenomenological experience of anger as it pertains to competitive mixed martial arts fighters during combat. The research question for this investigation was “What is the lived experience of anger as used by competitive mixed martial artists for competitive fighting matches?” Main themes found included anger being facilitative, anger being debilitative, and a clear and controlled mindset being the ultimate goal. Co-participants responses portrayed a constant interaction between the facilitative and debilitative uses for anger. This interaction was moderated by the calm and controlled mindset as being the ultimate goal.
"]},{"key":"dc:source","label":"Dc Source","values":["Jewell, S., Czech, D., Harris, B., Burdette, T. (2014) Hit me again: A qualitative examination of the lived experience of anger in mixed martial arts."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Hit Me Again: A Qualitative Examination of The Lived Experience Of Anger in Mixed Martial Arts"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Brandonn Harris","Trey Burdette"],"dc:creator":["Jewell, Skylar E"],"dc:date.available":["2014-04-16T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Anger has often been suggested to be debilitative to sport performance (Isberg, 2000). Conversely, Harpold et al. (2011) observed that anger may in fact be a facilitative factor in helping Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters experience optimal performance. Moreover, Woodman et al. (2009) found when angry, extraverts' peak force increased more than introverts. In concordance with these findings, Murphy (2005) mentions a significant need to better understand the effects of anger during sport performance. Thus, the purpose of this study was to use qualitative methods to existentially understand the phenomenological experience of anger as it pertains to competitive mixed martial arts fighters during combat. The research question for this investigation was “What is the lived experience of anger as used by competitive mixed martial artists for competitive fighting matches?” Main themes found included anger being facilitative, anger being debilitative, and a clear and controlled mindset being the ultimate goal. Co-participants responses portrayed a constant interaction between the facilitative and debilitative uses for anger. This interaction was moderated by the calm and controlled mindset as being the ultimate goal.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1104"],"dc:source":["Jewell, S., Czech, D., Harris, B., Burdette, T. (2014) Hit me again: A qualitative examination of the lived experience of anger in mixed martial arts."],"dc:subject":["ETD","Anger","Mixed martial arts","Controlled Mindset","Facilitative","Debilitative","Sports Studies"],"dc:title":["Hit Me Again: A Qualitative Examination of The Lived Experience Of Anger in Mixed Martial Arts"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Health and Kinesiology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Kinesiology (M.S.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:27:52Z"}