Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

[ktcute]

I'm curious what coaches make of the current approach propagated by our national performance director, and whether the proposed "elite" and "fitness" ends of sport are necessarily going to be in conflict.

Given that Bill Sweetenham seems to be intent on demanding a great deal of our top swimmers, is this going to destroy the intrinsic motivation of athletes to take part, and generate comments like "I don't like swimming that much."? Is it likely that we will have top athletes leaving the sport, and will this be a loss to the sport as a whole, or will we find that it will act as incentive to youngsters to come through?

Extrinsic motivators tend to be resented by people if they consider them to be "bribery and corruption", and are in themselves often detrimental to instrinsic motivation. If this is the case, what sort of bedfellows are elite and everyday sport going to make? Are everyday sporting activities supposed to look to our elite for inspiration, and if so surely seeing people being badly motivated will only lead to harm to the sport as a whole?

[nsswimmer]

well... shouldnt the coach encourage them with words? and then the motivation will come from within the swimmer, making it all the more powerful and potent. that's how it always worked with me, anyway :]

[ktcute]

Encouraging them with words is one thing. Slamming into them is another. And it has been shown that motivation can be reduced by introducing extrinsic factors... like medals... money... even a harsh criticism can be shown as an extrinsic factor. It might be ok if you are doing well, but even then it can be seen as someone trying to bribe, and manipulate, which people resent.

I think we should be discouraging the attitude amongst coaches that an athlete is always responsible for their own motivation. It shows a shocking naivity towards sports related psychology. An athlete or anyone else can be powerfully affected by the attitude of their mentor. I think its extremely important to be sensitive to these things, especially in young adults who typically tend to be going through a "difficult phase" where they are exploring their own boundaries.

I also think we need to be aware that language can be harmful and destructive if used innapropriately as well.