Self-Talk and Implicit Beliefs in Endurance Athletes: Exploring the Cognitive and Motivational Dimensions

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the frequency of cognitive and motivational self-talk in endurance athletes (duathletes and triathletes) across different competition levels (regional to international) and to examine the relationship between self-talk and implicit beliefs about sports ability. The sample consisted of 447 athletes (201 triathletes and 246 duathletes) aged 18 to 59 years, including both males (78.10% of triathletes, 71.14% of duathletes) and females (21.90% of triathletes, 28.86% of duathletes). Significant differences were found between duathletes and triathletes in terms of age, training frequency, and incremental beliefs, with duathletes scoring higher on the latter. Male athletes scored higher on entity beliefs than did female athletes. Frequency of self-talk was positively associated with incremental beliefs and satisfaction with sports performance. Motivational self-talk was linked to greater satisfaction and stronger incremental beliefs, whereas cognitive self-talk was associated with age and years of competition. These findings suggest that both motivational and cognitive self-talk are associated with incremental beliefs and satisfaction with performance in endurance sports. These results highlight the importance of athletes understanding their self-talk processes to enhance their sports performance.