ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE GOAL ORIENTATION AND THE FACTORS HINDERING THE PERFORMANCE OF ELITE ATHLETES

ABSTRACT Outstanding athletic performance is unthinkable without strong goal motivation, but at the same time, performance can be affected by a variety of challenges and distractions during an athlete’s career. This study aimed to understand the relationship between the type of goal orientation and factors that interfere with sports performance in competition and training processes. Method: This study involved 43 athletes with successful performance experiences in international competitions. Athletes were in age from 15 to 31 (M=19,3 years). There were 24 (55,8 %) men. The Perception of Success Questionnaire (Roberts et al., 1998) and Sport Interference Checklist (Donohue B. et al., 2007) for athletes’ self-assessments were used. Results: The results of the study indicate the most commonly reported athletes’ performance impairments were related to dysfunctional thoughts and stress related to both training and competition situations. The results showed a correlation between performance problems in competitions and task goal orientation. The elite athletes had higher task goal orientation than ego goal orientation, and problems that hindered athletes’ sports performance were more common during competitions than in training. There were no gender differences in athletes’ perception of issues that interfere with sports performance and no statistically significant differences between gender in athletes’ responses about ego and task goal orientation. Conclusions: The responses of elite athletes showed a correlation between athletes task goal orientation and their high motivation, which determined the low impact of disruptive factors (related to motivation) on athletic performance in competitions. The results of this study can be used for the development of targeted training programs for psychologists who would like to work in the field of sports psychology in Latvia in the future.