Family and its Influence on how Athletes Function

Abstract

This article presents an application of attachment theory in understanding the quality of sport relationships, it describes types of motivational climate and the differences between performance and mastery in the family and also shows how the beliefs of parents can influence the beliefs of a young athlete. The high quality and positive relationships between athletes and their colleagues seems to reflect the early positive bond which they had with their parents. Children with insecure attachment styles more often have low quality relationships with teammates. Other factors important in the functioning of athletes are the two main types of motivational climate: the mastery/task climate and the performance/ego climate. Both kinds of motivational climate describe which values are the most important for parents and the different influence they have on athletes. Moreover the beliefs of parents have a big impact on the involvement in sport by children, their behaviour during and after sport competitions and what they think about their motor skills and abilities. Parents who care about the sport future of their children should be educated in how important it is to build positive relationships from early childhood, how their beliefs and values create a motivational climate which can support or harm an athletes participation in sport, and how their beliefs influence the involvement in sport of their children.