Motivation and volition in sports

Abstract

Motivation and volition play an important role in sports. Professional athletes benefit from a strong achievement motivation, while findings on recreational sport show the importance of the affiliation motive. Sport psychological research has developed a large body of evidence on the conditions of motivation and volition in sports, including specific instruments for the measurement of motives as well as factors of motivation and volition. The distinction between implicit and explicit motives has only recently gained more attention. Through processes of self-regulation, volition is an essential component for persisting during training or succeeding in emotionally and physically exhausting competitions. Sport psychological interventions are primarily related to self-regulation.