Dr. Adam Naylor Misfocused Motivation

Motivation affects everyone, whether you are an athlete, a student, an employee, or merely attempting to complete a task. Motivation is simply the focus and intensity of our effort. Ideally, our motivation would always be 100% focused and 100% intense, but as humans we often have misfocused motivation, or motivation from the wrong sources. There are several theories to help explain this phenomenon, including self-determination factor, which suggests that the best source of motivation is internal and focused on learning and happiness. Goal- oriented motivation theory categorizes people into being either dominantly outcome-oriented, focused on outcomes and social comparison, or task-oriented and motivated by goals of self-reference such as learning a new skill.
In Dr.
Adam Naylor’s “Priming Performance”, motivational strategies are slipped in during talk of mental toughness, skills for excellence, and turning skills into strategy. For example, on page 23, Naylor discusses how create a “pull” for the athlete by focusing on learning. This is an example of how to use self-determination theory in real life. Naylor is suggesting that outcomes should not be the focus of our motivation, and that we are more successful when we concentrate on what we learned from our experience. “No day in sport is a waste or a failure if a player asks herself (and answers) the question, “What did I learn today?”” (p23). By changing our motivation from extrinsic factors such as rewards, guilt, and desire for status to intrinsic, where we are internally motivated by joy and/ or learning. By using intrinsic motivation, we have a voice and a choice in our own success. If we are solely motivated by extrinsic factors, we are giving someone the control to take away our
motivation. We take a closer look at goal-oriented theory on page 93, where Naylor discusses the benefit of learning skills and using performance oriented goals rather than focusing on winning or losing. When a player is focused on social comparison, the game shifts from fun and competitive to anxious and self-deprecating. In order to shy away from these comparisons, one should make performance oriented goals, such as “for every forehand, I will follow through over my shoulder”. Goals like this are measurable and shift our focus to playing the game successfully. “It requires learning to have faith in yourself and abilities to execute your sports skills”. Essentially, being able to play your sport well affects your attitude while playing it. Being confident in your ability to do your sport overcomes the worry and pressure that competition brings. Attribution theory describes the way in which we explain the causes of behaviors and events, and how our explanations affect our emotions, future expectations, and future behavior. On page 11, this is described when Paul Coffey told the other hockey player to “be ready”. Coffey says that there are many factors outside a player’s control, and therefore they must always be ready to be their best selves when they get the opportunity. We must not worry about things outside of our locus of control, and instead work hard on everything we have the opportunity to work on. Attribution theory is about blame. To be an excellent athlete, there is no one to blame but yourself. You must learn to play the game and play it well, while not getting caught up in things you can’t control- such as weather or facilities. Some of these motivational theories may sound similar, and it is because they are. When simplified, effective motivation comes from internal sources, and is focused on learning and pleasure, not outcomes or blame. These motivational skills can be used for everyone, not just athletes. When looking to complete a task, the motivation to start and continue should be taken from a positive place within.