Exploring the fundamental processes underlying interventions designed to promote athletes’ performance and well-being: A contextual behavioral science perspective

Interventions in sport psychology are designed to support athletes’ performance and well-being. These interventions are grounded in various theoretical approaches, differ in terminology, and may be delivered at the individual, interpersonal, or organizational level. However, many remain centered on midlevel terms and higher order theoretical constructs and do not sufficiently engage with the underlying linguistic and behavioral processes that shape intervention outcomes. This paper aims to explore these foundational processes through the lens of Contextual Behavioral Science (CBS) and Relational Frame Theory (RFT). CBS views behavior as influenced by the context in which it occurs, whereas RFT examines the underlying mechanisms involved in the development and structure of language. Together with the pragmatic functional contextualism philosophy, these frameworks offer an integrated process-based perspective that may enhance the effectiveness of both intervention research and applied practice in sport psychology. Two case studies, one focusing on the Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment protocol and another on the cultivation of adaptive thinking, along with three widely used frameworks—goal setting, mastery-oriented motivational climate, and mental health awareness—are explored to demonstrate how CBS-RFT principles are embedded within them. By grounding intervention exploration in fundamental processes, this perspective aims to bridge CBS-RFT principles and applied sport psychology.

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