Athletics Ireland | Motivation

The definition of Motivation is the activation or energisation of goal-oriented behaviour. Motivation may be intrinsic or extrinsic.
Motivation is an internal energy force that determines all aspects of our behaviour; it also impacts on how we think, feel and interact with others. In sport, high motivation is widely accepted as an essential prerequisite in getting athletes to fulfill their potential.


Intrinsic motivation This is motivation that comes from within.

Intrinsically motivated individuals engage in activities that interest them, and they engage in them freely, with a full sense of volition and personal control.

Intrinsic motivation is believed to be multidimensional in nature


3 aspects of manifestations of intrinsic motivation are toward knowledge, toward accomplishment, and toward experiencing stimulation.

Toward knowledge – reflects athlete’s desire to learn new skills and ways of accomplishing a task.

Toward accomplishment – reflects athletes desire to gain mastery over a particular skill and the pleasure that comes from reaching a personal goal for mastery.
Toward experience stimulation reflects the feeling that an athlete gets from physically experiencing a sensation innate to a specific task.
People readily participate in activities that they perceive to be interesting and unthreatening.  Most children start this way.  Coaches need to study the sport experience and focus on those activities that would cause a child to retain his intrinsic motivation.

Extrinsic Motivation
This is Motivation that comes from an external rather than internal source e.g. Money, trophies, and praise.
Least self determined form of extrinsic motivation
This is a behaviour that is performed, only to obtain an external reward or to avoid punishment.

Interjected regulation
Practicing to please coach or practicing to get better.

Believe the motivation is their own.
Present when an athlete engages in an activity that he does not perceive as being particularly interesting.

• Theories of Motivation
• Drive reduction theory
• Need achievement theory
• Attribution theory
• Task goal approach
• Cognitive evaluation theory

The Drive Reduction Theory grows out of the concept that we have certain biological drives, such as hunger. As time passes the strength of the drive increases if it is not satisfied (in this case by eating). Upon satisfying a drive the drive's strength is reduced. The theory is based on diverse ideas from the theories of Freud to the ideas of feedback control systems, such as a thermostat.

The Need achievement  theory —Murray “ people differ in their need to overcome obstacles, to exercise power, to strive to do something difficult as well as quickly as possible”
The need to set and achieve challenging goals.
TAT test to measure the need for achievement
Attribution Theory; First advanced by Fritz Heider (1944, 1958).  More cognitive approach to psychology.
According to Heider “ behavioural inferences may be causal attributions or dispositional attributions. 
Causal attributions are inferences about why something happened.  E.g. Tennis player may attribute success to his or her own capacity for teamwork.
Dispositional attributions are inferences about a quality or trait that an individual may possess. 
The athlete who plays at a level generally above his apparent ability is said to be a winner or over achiever.
Both causal and dispositional attributions represent attempts by laypersons and professionals to explain their behaviour and behaviour of others
Basis for model is that people strive for prediction and understanding of daily events in order to give their lives stability
The attributions that athlete’s select to explain their outcomes reveal much about their motivational structures.
Coaches should not disregard the kinds of attributions athlete’s use to explain their outcomes.  Instead coaches should analyze them to understand the athlete’s basic attribution structures

 What this means is that when an athlete is asked to explain how they won or are so good, the answer to this question is the secret to their success.

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