Abstract des Autors

Talented teenage athletes of both sexes performing explosive, endurance and team sports as well as risk and safe sports were studied three times (age 15-16: N=352; age 16-17: N=305; age 17-18:N=285) to predict high performance and discontinuation in sport at age 18-19 from scores on a range of motivational styles. They were recruited from the most promising performers of different sports, mainly in Western Norway. They all completed Norwegian versions of questionnaires on competitiveness, win- and goal-orientation (Sport Orientation Questionnaire: Gill & Deeter, 1988); sensation seeking (short Sensation Seeking Scale: Madsen, Das, Bogen & Grossman 1987); optimism (Life Orientation Test: Scheier & Carver, 1987); a new scale on so-called reactive and proactive negativism (the Negativism Dominance Scale: MsDermott & Apter, 1988) as well as questions constructed to measure the importance of friendship and physical competence in sport attributed to self, sport mates and to the coach. Information about level of performance in sport and discontinuation at age 18-19 were also obtained. Competitiveness, win orientation and the importance of physical competence in sport, attributed to self and to sport mates, predicted high performance in all types of sport, whereas high performance in different sports was predicted from proactive negativism (intrinsically provoked hostile actions), with high scores among explosive sport performers and low scores among performers of team sports. High performance in endurance sports was best predicted from high scores on goal orientation and the importance of friedship attributed to self. A significantly more optimistic lifestyle was predominant among skilled performers of risk sports compared to skilled performers of safe sports. Scores in the medium range for win orientation in previous years also predicted high performance in risk and safe sports. Discontinuation was best predicted from reactive negativism (extrinsically provoked hostile actions) and proactive negativism among males. Verf.-Referat