There is so much research that supports motivation’s influence on behavior. Theories such as Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Achievement Goal Theory (AGT) provide frameworks to understand motivation and its relationships to behaviors, psychological needs, and goal setting. There’s also a lot of research to support the positive relationship between certain types of motivation and motivational profiles and athletic performance. From this research, we also know that certain types of motivation and motivational profiles are more beneficial than others. I want to figure out what motivational types I have and how to improve them if needed.

The obvious place to start here is to figure out where I’m at currently. It’s completely possible that I already have the perfect mindset and motivation type, and there’s literally nothing to change about me, (SPOILER: this is NOT the case AT ALL).

After a little perusing through Google scholar I found valid and reliable measures of intrinsic/extrinsic motivation and the differing motivational profiles of AGT.

The first questionnaire I took was to measure the different types of motivation from Self-Determination Theory. I’m pretty even across the board. Thankfully, I scored very low for “amotivation,” which means I at least have some level of motivation! Yes, bare minimum! As far as the other types of motivation on the continuum it’s pretty similar for everything, as you can see. I have the highest scores for the more intrinsic motivation types, which is a good thing.

Personally, I think that the findings from the Acheivement Goal Theory assessment are a bit more interesting. In my opinion, these speak a little more to my thought processes when playing. They give some insight as to why I react the way I do, and maybe a bit of where my stress comes from. I think using this type of theory in an application setting provides a little bit more useful information to an athlete. Similar to the results of the first questionnaire, I am pretty even across the board. However, I notice that my avoidance scores are slightly higher than my approach scores. This isn’t terrible but it’s also not great, and it’s even less surprising.

In general, I do have very high levels of what we can consider an overall mastery approach and intrinsic motivation. Meaning I find motivation in learning, developing new strategies, and just a love for a sport that aligns with my identity, and values. However, what I also notice in myself is a very high level of avoidance.

The biggest issue that I want to address is my reliance on outside reassurance. We can see that I have an extremely high need to avoid being perceived as worse than the people around me. In constantly looking outside of myself, I am focusing on things I cannot control. I believe this contributes to the anxiety and confidence problems that I sometimes struggle with on the field.

Ok so first things first lets outline what these questionnaires have shown us.

High levels of intrinsic motivation, moderate levels of extrinsic motivation

Overall higher levels of avoidance than approach strategies.

Like I said in the first week, I think that I mainly want to address my reliance on avoidance strategies. In addressing this issue, I will see even higher levels of intrinsic motivation. Research agrees that when an individual has a meaningful connection with their purpose in doing whatever task they are more likely to have higher quality motivation. Motivation is not definite, it changes in different situations. To shift from avoidance to approach strategies we first have to assess which situations elicit this fear, shame, or embarrassment that are associated with avoidance.

These first steps into shifting my motivation will be very introspective. First, I want to define my “why.” The idea is that in developing a “reason” for playing that is deeply personal and meaningful I am more likely to find internal motivation in achieving goals that align with this “why.” The second thing I want to try is journaling. I particularly want to uncover the situations that I avoid most, or that elicit the most fear in me. Perhaps, I will notice some sort of pattern. Thereby, allowing me to pinpoint and develop specific strategies to work through these situations and reframe my mindset in the future. Both of these steps, defining my why and journaling, I think will allow me to create a clear plan for increasing the quality of my motivation.

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