Summary
Contents
This book provides students and scholars with a fail-safe guide to the key concepts in the field of Sport & Exercise Science. Intelligently cross-referenced entries provide a sound map of the multi-disciplinary demands of sport related courses including physical and biological sciences, social science and education. The entries use clear definitions, examples, and suggestions for further reading to explore each discipline.
Motivation
Motivation
Motivation has traditionally been defined as the direction and intensity of effort, meaning that we can choose whether or not to direct energy to a given task and how much we are willing to give. In this sense motivation attempts to explain why we behave the way we do. Researchers have adopted a number of different theoretical perspectives to understand the motivation for individual involvement in sport and exercise. The contemporary perspectives of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) provide the focus for this entry.
Being motivated or having the ability to motivate others can be seen as one key to success in sport and exercise. Identifying what motivates us and how to sustain that motivation continues to challenge psychologists as well as ...
