Unit 17 – Psychology for Sports
Performance
Motivation for Sports Performance - Theories
Task One
 Using one A4 sheet of paper make the best
paper aeroplane that you can. It needs to travel
the distance of the room
 Don’t waste your sheet! Plane designs optional!
What was your motivation
for the test?
Was it the need to succeed?
Was it the fear of not being able
to make it?
Achievement Motivation
Theory
 Atkinson (1964) suggested that motivation comes
from an individuals personality and is their
motivation to strive for success
 It is this drive that makes athletes want to continue
even if they fail or have obstacles in their way
 Atkinson grouped these athletes into two
categories. Need to achieve (NAch) and Need to
avoid failure (Naf)
NAch & Naf
Need to Achieve.
(Low Naf/High NAch)
 The desire of success far outweighs the fear of failure.
 Referred to as high achievers
Need to Avoid Failure.
(Low NAch/High Naf)
 The fear of failure far outweighs the desire to succeed.
 Referred to as low achievers.
Task Two
 Everyone in a circle
 Pass the tennis ball around the circle
 Everyone must receive and throw the ball once
 Remember who last passed the ball to you
Questions
What do you
attribute the
success or failure
of this task to?
Attribution Theory
 Attribution theory looks at how people explain
success and failure
 Attributions provide explanations for your success
or failure and fall into one of the following
categories
 Stability – Is the reason permanent or unstable
 Causality – Is it something that comes from an
internal or external factor?
 Control – Is it under your conscious control
Task Three
Can you
make the
putt?
Type of
attribution
Wining example
Losing example
Stability
“I was more able than my opponent”
(Stable)
“I was less able than my
opponent” (Stable)
“I was unlucky” (Unstable)
“We didn't’t have that bit of
luck we needed today”
(Unstable)
“I tried really hard” (Internal)
“I didn't’t try hard enough”
(Internal)
Causality
“My opponent was easy to beat”
(External)
Control
“I trained really hard for this fight”
(Under your control)
“He wasn't’t as fit as I was” (Not under
your control)
“My opponent was
impossible to beat”
(External)
“I didn't’t train hard enough
for this fight” (Under your
control)
“He was fitter than I was”
(Not under your control)
Effect of Motivation on
Sports Performance
 Positive
 Someone who is motivated play, perform and
train at an optimal level will increase their
performance
 Negative
 Being over motivated can cause a problem for
an athlete
 Athletes are often under pressure and therefore
need to train more and more
Negative Effects of
Motivation on Sports
Performance
 Overtraining – The athlete trains under an
excessive training load, which they cannot cope
with
 Staleness – Inability to maintain a previous
performance level
 Burnout – When an athlete strives to meet training
and competition demands despite repeated
unsuccessful attempts, and so tries harder. Can
lead to the athlete no longer wishing to
participate in the activities they used to enjoy
Future Expectations of
Success & Failure
 Expectations of success and failure are linked to
attribution theory
 If you attribute stable causes (Skill Level), you are
more likely to have expectation of future success
 If you attribute to more unstable causes (Luck)
you are more likely to have expectations of
future failure
Developing a Motivational
Climate
 This is the environment an athlete finds
themselves in
 The motivational climate will also affect their
motivation both positively and negatively
 A motivational climate is based on the mastery of
tasks, where athletes are praised for the
completion of tasks
 When an athlete is in an environment where the
focus is on punishment of mistakes this could lead
to less effort and attribution of lack of ability
Developing a Motivational
Climate
 To develop an effective motivational climate, use the TARGET technique
 Tasks – Range of tasks where athletes have to participate and make
decision
 Authority – Giving athletes authority over monitoring and evaluating their
own learning
 Reward – Using rewards that are focussed on individual improvement
rather than against other competitors
 Grouping – Giving athletes the chance to work in groups
 Evaluation – Focussing on an individuals effort and improvement
 Timing – Timing activities effectively so that they can combine all of the
above conditions