Trading psychology refers to the state of mind of traders when they are active in the financial markets and how this affects their trading decisions. This psychological side of trading is often overlooked. A sound state of mind means a trader executes his plan consistently, is mindful of the risks involved, is not hindered by emotions, takes equal responsibility for wins and losses and is realistic about trading in general. Bad trading psychology is one of the top reasons traders fail.
Signs of good psychology include not being emotionally attached to individual trades, not being affected by performance anxiety, focussing on results over a larger number of trades and not putting up positions that are too big to handle. Good psychological traders do not engage in revenge trading, do not second guess trades, and focus on self-improvement without sabotaging their results. They are honest about wins and losses, hold themselves accountable and understand how to deal with fear and greed. Both can be destructive emotions and several techniques exist to control them.
