DROPOUTS VERSUS
BURNOUTS: WHY WE QUIT
ACTIVITIES WE LOVE
Damon Burton
University of Idaho
What is the difference
between dropouts and
burnouts?
DROPOUTS VERSUS
BURNOUTS
• Dropouts – don’t get their
achievement needs met (i.e., aren’t
improving or don’t win enough)
• Burnouts – still get their
achievement needs met but the
costs of meeting those needs
outweigh the benefits received.
DROPOUTS
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Not Meeting Achievement Needs – means not
reaching your achievement goals.
 outcome – don’t win or socially compare well,
 performance – fail to improve, learn and/or
perform well,
 power – don’t gain leadership opportunities,
 social – can’t make friends, hang out with them
and/or develop social skills,
 involvement – pursue goals you value.
Dropouts report “finding other things to do.”
Do dropouts really find other activities more
intrinsically motivating or is it just a “socially
acceptable” reason to quit when goals are not met
and they perceive they have low ability?
BURNOUTS
• Still Meeting Achievement Needs – means
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continuing to reach valued goals.
 outcome – win or socially compare well,
 performance – improve, learn and/or
perform well,
 power – gain leadership opportunities,
 social – make friends, hang out with them
and develop social skills
 involvement – pursue goals you value.
What are the “costs” of meeting achievement
needs that may eventually outweigh the
benefits?
CHARACTERISTICS OF
BURNOUT
• Physical and Emotional Exhaustion – in the
form of lost concern, energy, interest and
trust.
• More Negative Responses to Others –
impersonal , unfeeling and uncaring.
• Low Feelings of Accomplishment – often
prompting low self-esteem, failure and
depression that reduces productivity and
performance levels.
• Long-Term Response – accumulates from
chronic, every day stress over time.
STAGES OF BURNOUT
• Emotional and Physical Exhaustion – the
slow process of breaking down emotionally
and/or physically.
• Decreased Feelings of Accomplishment –
feel you’re no long making a contribution
or accomplishing your goals.
• Depersonalization – dissociating yourself
from others so you become emotionally
removed, distant and unconcerned.
• Isolation* – a severe form of
depersonalization in which you insulate
yourself from anyone associated with the
activity and look for excuses not to do it.
PARTICIPATION AND
WITHDRAWAL MODEL
BURTON & MARTENS (1986) STUDY
• Developed a dropout questionnaire that
included 23 reasons taken from previous
research for why athletes quit sport.
• 2nd questionnaire tested motivation theory
predictions.
• Questionnaire given to 5 wrestling-related
populations
 participants – continued to wrestle
 dropouts – had left wrestling
 coaches
 participants’ parents
 dropouts’ parents
DROPOUT QUESTIONNAIRE
RESULTS
• Dropout questionnaire results confirmed
previous research that emphasized
nebulus motivational reasons for dropping
out, and put a positive spin on the process:
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finds other things to do,
doesn’t care anymore,
stops being fun,
isn’t motivated anymore,
takes too much time,
too much work, and
tired of wrestling.
CRANDALL MODEL RESULTS
• Parents and coaches were both seen as
positive social support for athletes.
• Motivation = (expectancy – minimal
standard) X attainment value
• Dropout results demonstrated more
negative side of sport attrition that
revolved around unmet needs.
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lower expectancy of future success,
higher minimal standard, and
only slightly lower attainment value.
RAEDEKE (2001) SPORT
COMMITMENT MODEL OF BURNOUT
• Burnout focuses on emotional
exhaustion, depersonalization and
reduced accomplishment among
individuals who work with people.
• For athletes, burnout defined in
terms of performance.
• Scanlan & colleagues (1986) Sport
Commitment Model looks at
persistence in sport.
SCANLAN’S SPORT
COMMITMENT MODEL
• Sport enjoyment – a positive affective response
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to the experience.
Involvement alternatives – attractiveness of
most preferred alternate options.
Personal investments – resources that are put
into the activity that can’t be recovered if
participation stops.
Involvement opportunities – valued
opportunities only available thru continued
participation.
Social constraints – social norms which create a
feeling of obligation to remain in the sport.
OTHER BURNOUT MODELS
• Coakley (1992) believes burnout comes from a
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unidimensional athletic identity.
Schmidt and Stein (1991) identified the 3
primary determinants of athlete commitment
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satisfaction based on the costs vs. benefits of sport
participation,
attractiveness of alternate options,
resources athletes have invested in sport.
• Athletes are burnout candidates if they are
committed to sport for entrapment reasons.
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High costs and low rewards reduce enjoyment
Involvement maintained because (a) too much
invested to quit and (b) few attractive alternatives.
OTHER BURNOUT MODELS
• Sport Attraction Model – predicts that
athletes are committed to sport because
• They enjoy participation.
• They experience high rewards and low costs
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associated with participation.
They have heavily invested substantial time
and energy into the sport they love and feel it
is more attractive than alternate activities.
RAEDEKE’S BURNOUT RESULTS
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Based on the commitment model components,
swimmers clustered into 4 profile groups.
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Malcontented – high alternate attractiveness, costs and
social constraints and low enjoyment, benefits,
investments, swim identity and control.
Enthusiastic – high enjoyment, benefits, swim identity,
control and investments, and low costs, attractive
alternatives, and social constraints.
Obligated – high social constraints, investments, swim
identity, costs and attractive alternatives, and low
control, benefits and enjoyment.
Indifferent – moderate control, attractive alternatives
and costs, and low swim identity, investments, social
constraints, benefits and enjoyment.
RAEDEKE’S BURNOUT RESULTS
• Based on the 3 burnout dimensions, swimmers’
profile groups scored
• Malcontented – highest on physical &
emotional exhaustion, reduced swim
accomplishment and swim devaluation.
• Enthusiastic – lowest on 3 dimensions of
burnout.
• Obligated – moderately high on exhaustion and
reduced swim accomplishment and moderately
low on swim devaluation.
• Indifferent – 2nd lowest on all three
components of burnout.
GOULD ET AL. (1996) JUNIOR
TENNIS BURNOUT STUDY
• Study 1 -- Quantitative study
compared participants and burnouts
on a variety of demographic and
background variables and a range of
instruments measuring motivation,
burnout and self-concept.
• Study 2 -- Qualitative study looked at
burnout dimensions and advice for
players, parents and coaches.
SMITH’S (1986) ATHLETE
BURNOUT STUDY MODEL
GOULD ET AL. (1996) BURNOUT
STUDY EVALUATION MODEL
GOULD ET AL. (1996)
QUANTITATIVE BURNOUT STUDY
• Participants and burnouts differed
significantly on 6 demographic and
background variables:
• input into training,
• play high school,
• too many tournaments,
• years played up,
• days practiced/week, and
• age began competing.
GOULD ET AL. (1996)
QUANTITATIVE BURNOUT STUDY
• Participants and burnouts differed
significantly on 3 psychological and 2
coping variables:
• amotivation,
• extrinsic motivation, and
• withdrawal.
• planning (PM), and
• positive reinterpretation (EM).
GOULD ET AL. (1996)
QUANTITATIVE BURNOUT STUDY
• Participants and burnouts differed
significantly on 5 perfectionism but
no trait anxiety and athlete identity
variables:
• parental criticism,
• parental expectations,
• personal standards,
• organization, and
• concern over mistakes.
GOULD ET AL. (1996)
QUALITATIVE BURNOUT STUDY
• General burnout dimensions based on raw
data themes included:
• physical concerns (12% raw data themes;
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physical problems & poor play),
logistical concerns (13% RD themes; time
demands, travel concerns & school issues),
social/interpersonal concerns (24% RD
themes; lack of social life, parental influences
& dissatisfaction with those involved),
psychological concerns (51% RD themes;
unfulfilled expectations, low enjoyment,
motivation & noncompetitive personality).
GOULD ET AL. (1996) MENTAL
SYMPTOMS OF BURNOUT
• Still motivated to play,
• Low motivation and energy,
• Negative emotions and affect,
• Feelings of isolation,
• Concentration problems, and
• Both highs and low.
SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF
OVERTRAINING VS BURNOUT
Overtraining
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Apathy,
Lethargy,
Sleep disturbance,
Weight loss,
Muscle soreness,
Elevated resting heart
rate and blood pressure,
• Mood change,
• Loss of appetite, and
• Slow workout recovery
Burnout
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Loss of desire to play,
Lack of caring,
Sleep disturbance,
Physical and mental
exhaustion,
Lowered self-esteem,
Headaches,
Mood changes,
Substance abuse,
Emotional isolation, and
Increased anxiety.
GOULD ET AL. (1996)
QUALITATIVE BURNOUT STUDY
• Advice to players included:
• Play for your own reasons,
• Balance tennis with other things,
• Don’t play if it’s not fun,
• Try to make it fun,
• Relax,
• Take time off, and
• Other factors.
GOULD ET AL. (1996)
QUALITATIVE BURNOUT STUDY
• Advice to parents focused on:
• Recognize the optimal amount of
pushing needed,
• Lessen involvement,
• Reduce the importance of the outcome,
• Show support and empathy,
• Separate and clarify the parent/coach
role, and
• Solicit player input.
GOULD ET AL. (1996)
QUALITATIVE BURNOUT STUDY
• Advice to coaches emphasized:
• Promote personal involvement with the
player,
• Have 2-way communication with each
player,
• Utilize player input, and
• Understand players’ feelings.
MOTVATIONAL MAP BURNOUT
CASE COMPARISON