Theories of motivation in competitive sport Research Paper

Theories of motivation in competitive sport - Research Paper Example Psychology has different take on motivation. According to Sage (1977), motivation is defined as â€Å"direction and intensity of one’s effort† (Weinberg & Gould 52). For example, a person can be said to be motivated when he seeks out or approaches those resources which help him to improve his skills to perform a particular activity (Weinberg & Gould 52). His effort to seek different methods of improvement shows that he is ‘directing’ his effort with certain aim in mind. The intensity of effort refers to the amount of hard work and sincerity a person puts in his effort to achieve a particular goal or to perform a particular action (Weinberg & Gould 52). The intensity with which a person makes efforts to achieve a certain goal shows his level of motivation to achieve a particular skill or reach a particular goal. Hence, the direction and the intensity of human being’s effort show how much he is motivated to do a particular action. Similarly, the performance of a player in competitive sports depends on his motivation level. According to researchers Ryan and Deci ( 2000), all the aspects of human activity and intents like energy, direction, intensity and persistence are driven by motivation (Walker et al. 5). Without motivation, it is highly impossible for a sportsperson to perform in a competitive sport. Participating in a competitive sport needs a player to have high level of physical energy, discipline, determination, consistency, stamina etc. Without motivation, no human being can put in such an intense effort in performance. All the â€Å"biological, cognitive and social† regulations that an athlete follows are driven by his motivation to succeed in competitive sport (Walker et al. 5). Hence, motivation is considered the most important aspect of performance in competitive sports. In most of the activities, the reward for the performance is very obvious.