Motivation in Sport

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Motivation in Sport
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Motivation -- Overview

• One of the more important themes in psychology
• Widely researched in sport exercise
• What factor(s) lead us to engage in the behaviors
  that we do?

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Katie Spotz
Interview w D. Sawyer (iSkysoft)
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Motivation

• Motivation -- Purpose for or cause of an action
• Energizes behaviors,
• Directs that energy toward a goal
• It is the Energy for Action
• Human behavior directed by physiological needs
  and psychological needs/wants
• Hunger/thirst
• Need for connection/contact/sex
• Need for stimulation/exploration
• Need to improve self, to live up to ones
  potential

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Motivation Terms

• Intrinsic motivation
• Motivation derived from an internal source
• Extrinsic motivation
• Motivated by some outside force
• Motivation is a function of individual via
  environment

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Interactionist model of motivation

• Combined effect of personal (individual factors)
  (environment) situational factors
• Lewin (1936) B f(P, E)
• Example Bo Eason

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Optimal Motivational Profile

• What might an optimal profile look like?
• Self-discipline
• Enjoyment
• Realistic self-confidence
• Attitude toward failure (growth vs. fixed
  mindset)
• Goal-directed
• Other factors?

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Participatory Motives

• Some questions
• Why do people start participating?
• Why do people stop participating or decide to
  continue?
• Research is primarily conducted with youth sport

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Participatory Motives

• Parents are initial socializing agents
• Peers begin to increase in importance around age
  10 and continue to increase with age

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Participatory Motives

• Self-Determination Theory
• Developed at U of Rochester (Deci Ryan)
• Not sport-specific
• A broad framework for studying motivation
• Proposes that we have three basic psychological
  needs Autonomy, competence, and relationship
• For more, see Ryan, R. M., Deci, E. L.
  (2000). Self-determination theory and the
  facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social
  development, and well-being. American
  Psychologist, 55, 68-78.

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You never hear

• Dr., how can I motivate my two-year old to
  play?!
• Why not?

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Autonomy

• The urge to be a causal agent in ones own
  life.
• Volition, willingness, and choice
• Interest and enjoyment
• Acting in concert with deeply held values
• Leads to more creativity and persistence,
  teamwork, and psychological/physical health
• (Compare this to controlled motivation, which
  is the carrot/stick model. Typically, whether
  coerced or rewarded, the person usually works
  towards the shortest path to success.)

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Competence

• Seeking to achieve mastery
• The inherent reward of success/mastery
• We should structure sports and practices so that
  competence is gained (at any level). Think about
  deliberate practice

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Relatedness

• We are SOCIAL animals
• We have a need to
• Connect
• Interact
• Experience caring for and from others