Abstract

Motivation is claimed to have two sources. One which stems from inside the person (intrinsic), and one which stems from outside the person (extrinsic). Intrinsic motivation are defined as doing an activity for it's own sake, motivated by feelings of pleasure and satisfaction experienced simply from the activity itself. Motivational factors such as having fun, learn and improve skills, and the achievement of personal performance goals, are intrinsic in nature. In contrast, extrinsic motivation occurs when an athlete engage in an activity as a mean to an end, such as participation for the satisfaction derived from outperforming others, prestige of being an athlete (i.e., social status), receiving of rewards (i.e., money, parental acceptance), and the avoidance of punishment. It is imposed that intrinsically motivated athletes are advantageous in sports since they are motivated by the activity itself, and therefore display better performance. Roberts (1993) argues that an emphasis on a task goal climate, which enhances motivation and striving, is important if we want our athletes to continue in the sport context. Studies of goal orientation have found that task-orientation are strongly related to persistence and effort. However, the context of sport is competitive and it is difficult for athletes to maintain a task orientation when facing continual evaluation with emphasis on social comparison in competitive contexts. This can have negative impact on goal orientation, leading the athlete to utilize ego-involved criteria for performance- and ability assessment that may, in turn, develop a stable ego goal orientation. The drop-out rates of athletes are legion in such contexts. In addition to the individual differences, the development stage of the individual also influence goal orientation and motivation. The relationship between task-goal orientation and intrinsic motivation are supported by considerable research by Duda and Colleagues (1995) and Kavussanu, & Roberts (1996), among others, who also concluded that ego involvement is incompatible with intrinsic motivation by its derfining features. The aim of this study is to find out if athlete's motivation is primarily intrinsic (task-orientation) or extrinsic (ego-orientation) in nature, and if these sources of motivation differ between age groups. Aus der Einfuehrung