Understanding Success And Failure - Attribution Theory In Sport

UNDERSTANDING SUCCESS AND FAILURE - ATTRIBUTION THEORY IN SPORT Part 1: The Influence of Success and Failure in Sport 1.1 Impact of Athletic Success and Failure  Success (e.g., mastering a challenging gymnastics routine, winning a sprint) and failure (e.g., falling off a balancing beam, finishing last) in sports evoke emotional reactions.  Emotions include pride, euphoria, shame, or disappointment.  These emotional responses significantly affect future motivation in exercise and sports. 1.2 Introduction to Attribution Theories  Attribution theories (Heider, 1958; Kelley, 1973; Weiner et al., 1971) explore how individuals explain their successes and failures.  People seek explanations for their achievements.  Key dimensions: locus of causality (internal vs. external) and temporal stability (stable vs. unstable).  Typical attributions for success: effort (internal, unstable), ability (internal, stable), luck (external, unstable), task difficulty (external, stable).  Examples of attributions for failures: lack of effort, lack of talent, bad luck, task difficulty. Part 2: Emotions and Attribution 2.1 Athlete's Attributions and Emotional Reactions  Athletes' attributions significantly influence their emotional reactions following competitions.  Emotional responses vary: pride (attributed to effort), shame (attributed to lack of talent), joy (unexpected success), anger (unexpected failure).  Locus of causality (internal vs. external) affects emotional intensity.  Emotions impact athletes' future motivation and training. 2.2 The Role of Stability and Causality  Stability influences future expectations.  Stable attributions lead to expectations of similar outcomes.  Causality (internal vs. external) determines affect.  Internal attributions lead to positive affect (pride, joy, guilt, sadness).  External attributions result in lower affect intensity. 2.3 The Dimension of Controllability  Controllability is a crucial factor in attributing failure.  Whether the cause of failure can be controlled determines attributions.  Rees et al. (2005) emphasized that controllability is essential when attributing failure.  It influences future motivation and the individual's self-evaluation. Part 3: Implications of Attribution on Motivation  Expectations of future success and failure are critical for motivation in sports.  Attribution styles are influenced by the achievement motive.  Hope for success leads to attributions of lack of effort after failure.  Fear of failure emphasizes attributions of failure.  Success-motivated individuals maintain self-worth and expect future success through attributions of lack of effort.