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SYP Interview: Jenae Nelson & Transcendent Goals in Sports

Jenae Nelson: Transcendent Goals in Sports

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In this interview, Dr. Jenae Nelson discusses transcendent indebtedness and goals in sports. She provides several ways in which parents and coaches can help athletes to implement these kind of goals. She also discusses developing character and virtue, in particular how this can be done through sports.

Dr. Jenae Nelson is developmental scientist, with a PhD in psychology. She has done two post doctoral experiences, one at Harvard Medical School and the other at Baylor. She is an expert in transcendent indebtedness. Dr. Nelson is currently a professor at Brigham Young University.

0:06 - Introduction to the Strong Youth Project
0:43 - Introduction of Jane Nelson
1:14 - Jane's post-doctoral experiences
1:37 - Work on neuroscience, spirituality, and character development
2:14 - Transcendent indebtedness explained
5:14 - Connection between spirituality and sports
6:43 - Virtue development in sports
10:15 - Moral bracketing in sports
13:09 - The problem of "win at all costs" mindset
16:02 - Teaching virtues through sports
17:12 - Transcendent goals vs. performance goals
19:10 - Case study of Michael Phelps
21:58 - Discussion on team sports vs. individual achievements
24:00 - Importance of gratitude and Transcendent goals in sports
27:23 - Parental involvement in developing character
33:05 - How sports can teach failure and resilience
41:01 - The importance of having a good coach

The Strong Youth Project Home Page

Why do high character teams sometimes lose?

August, 2024
Question: "Championship teams are often associated with character. Their team had character. But has there been any research done with teams that lose a lot but have character? And maybe there’s an assumption that teams that consistently lose don’t have character. Any research there? That could be why lower level teams at Shooters have the hardest time. Almost like a false notion that because you pay your tithing that you’ll get rewarded. I think character in teams is great, but perhaps taken too seriously in sports where talent/work ethic (from people without character) still win the day."

How do I set character centered goals in sports?

August, 2024
Question: "How do you set goals that have impact on the field that don’t revolve around winning. What do those look like? And can they be measured with metrics? Like, I always pick up an opposing team member from off the ground? Or I’m going to do that 3 times this game? It’s hard to measure a goal about character that doesn’t involve winning."
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