SEHS terms in Motivation

A theory proposing that people strive to feel successful and competent, and judge success either against their own previous performance (task orientation) or against other people (ego orientation).

A person’s drive to strive for success, master tasks and do well in situations where their performance can be evaluated against a standard or against other people.

The absence of motivation, which occurs when a person perceives no link between their effort and the outcome, or places no value on the activity.

Behaviour in which a person seeks out and engages with achievement situations, for example choosing realistic challenges, persisting after failure and welcoming evaluation.

Motivation in which an activity is done with a full sense of choice because it is enjoyable, interesting or personally valued, so that it is experienced as an end in itself.

The basic psychological need to feel that one’s behaviour is self-chosen and self-endorsed, so that one is the origin of one’s own actions rather than pushed by outside pressure.

A general tendency to act out of interest in and valuing of what is happening, to seek choice and to treat events as sources of information.

Behaviour in which a person withdraws from or minimises involvement in achievement situations, for example avoiding competition, choosing very easy or very hard tasks, withdrawing effort or making excuses.

The three innate needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness that, according to self-determination theory, must be satisfied for optimal motivation, development and well-being.

A mini-theory of self-determination theory proposing that well-being and optimal functioning depend on satisfying the needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness, and that thwarting any of them leads to ill-being.

A mini-theory of self-determination theory describing relatively stable individual differences in how people orient to their environment, expressed as autonomy, control and impersonal orientations.

A mini-theory of self-determination theory explaining how external events such as rewards, feedback and competition affect intrinsic motivation through their effects on perceived autonomy and competence.

The basic psychological need to feel effective in dealing with the environment and capable of achieving desired outcomes and mastering challenges.

A general tendency to focus on rewards, gains, deadlines and approval from others, so that behaviour is organised around external or internal controls.

Motivation in which an activity is done as a means to an end, because of external rewards or pressure or internal pressure such as guilt, so that it feels obligatory rather than freely chosen.

A reward perceived mainly as an attempt to control behaviour, so that the person feels they act to obtain it, which tends to undermine intrinsic motivation.

Withdrawal from a sport or physical activity before a person has reached their potential or chosen to stop for positive reasons, often linked to low perceived ability, low enjoyment or an ego-involving environment.

A motivational climate in which success is defined as winning and outperforming others, with public comparison, recognition mainly for the most able, rivalry between teammates and punishment of mistakes; also called a performance climate.

A goal orientation in which a person judges success and competence in a norm-referenced way, by outperforming others or performing equally well with less effort.

Defensive behaviour, such as blaming others, rejecting feedback or withdrawing effort, that a person uses to protect their self-esteem and the appearance of ability when it is challenged.

The least self-determined type of extrinsic motivation, in which behaviour is controlled by external rewards, punishments or demands and feels like having little or no choice (“I must”).

Motivation to take part in an activity as a means to an end, for an outcome separate from the activity such as a reward, praise, status, avoiding punishment or a health benefit.

A mini-theory of self-determination theory distinguishing intrinsic goals (growth, relationships, community, health) from extrinsic goals (wealth, fame, image), and linking intrinsic goals to greater well-being.

An autonomous type of extrinsic motivation in which a person values the outcome of a behaviour and wants to do it, but still as a means to an end (“I want to”).

A general tendency to feel that outcomes are beyond one’s control, marked by anxiety about competence and a lack of intentional action, which leads to amotivation.

A situational factor in need achievement theory: how much pride or satisfaction success at a task would bring, which is greater when success is less likely (Is = 1 − Ps).

A reward or piece of feedback perceived mainly as information about one’s competence, given without pressure, which tends to maintain or increase intrinsic motivation.

The most self-determined type of extrinsic motivation, in which the reasons for a behaviour fit fully with the person’s values and identity, although it is still done for a separate outcome.

Motivation to take part in an activity for its own sake, for the enjoyment, interest and satisfaction that the activity itself provides.

A controlled type of extrinsic motivation in which behaviour is driven by internal pressures such as guilt, shame or the need to protect self-esteem (“I should”).

A motivational climate in which success is defined as effort, learning and personal or team improvement, cooperation is encouraged and mistakes are treated as part of learning; also called a task-involving climate.

The internal and external forces that determine the direction of a person’s behaviour (what they choose to do) and the intensity of their effort (how hard and how long they try).

The psychological environment that a coach, teacher, parent or peer group creates through session design, instruction, feedback and rewards, which signals how success is defined and influences athletes’ motivation.

An interactionist theory, developed by Atkinson and McClelland, proposing that personality factors and situational factors interact to produce a resultant tendency, which creates emotions (pride or shame) that drive approach or avoidance behaviour.

Behaviour by a coach, teacher, parent or other social agent that satisfies another person’s needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness, such as offering choice, giving a rationale, providing structure and showing care.

Behaviour by a social agent that actively frustrates another person’s needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness, such as pressure, threats, excessive control, belittling criticism or rejection.

A personality factor in need achievement theory describing a person’s motivation to seek out challenges, persist and experience pride in success; also called the motive to achieve success (nAch).

A personality factor in need achievement theory describing a person’s motivation to avoid situations in which they might fail and feel shame; also called the motive to avoid failure (nAf).

A mini-theory of self-determination theory explaining how extrinsic motivation becomes more autonomous through internalisation, described by external, introjected, identified and integrated regulation.

The fall in intrinsic motivation for an activity that occurs when an expected, controlling extrinsic reward is given for doing it, so that the activity becomes a means to the reward.

A person’s own judgement of how competent they are at an activity, including their belief about how able other people think they are; also called perceived competence.

A 33-item self-report questionnaire, the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire-2, that measures how athletes perceive the task-involving (mastery) and ego-involving climate created by their coach.

A situational factor in need achievement theory: the person’s estimate of how likely they are to succeed at a task, from 0 (certain failure) to 1 (certain success).

The basic psychological need to feel connected to, cared for by and accepted by others, with a sense of belonging in a group.

A mini-theory of self-determination theory proposing that positive interpersonal relationships are essential for well-being, and that the best relationships are those in which each person supports the other’s autonomy.

In need achievement theory, the overall motivation to approach or avoid an achievement situation, produced by the interaction of personality factors (nAch and nAf) with the probability and incentive value of success.

A model that orders types of motivation by how self-determined they are, from amotivation through controlled (extrinsic) motivation to autonomous (intrinsic) motivation.

A theory of motivation, developed by Deci and Ryan, proposing that people strive to satisfy needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness, and that need satisfaction determines the quality of their motivation and well-being.

Creating or claiming obstacles to success before a performance, such as withdrawing effort or reporting an injury, so that failure can be blamed on the obstacle rather than on a lack of ability.

A self-report questionnaire that measures an athlete’s reasons for taking part in sport, with subscales for three types of intrinsic motivation, types of extrinsic motivation and amotivation.

A framework of six areas of the learning environment (task, authority, recognition, grouping, evaluation and time) that coaches and teachers structure to create a mastery motivational climate.

A goal orientation in which a person judges success and competence in a self-referenced way, by mastering skills, improving on their own previous performance and giving maximum effort.

A 13-item self-report questionnaire (7 task and 6 ego items), the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire, that measures dispositional task and ego orientation in sport, each scored from 1 to 5.