Athlete Burnout Theory

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Definition of Burnout Athlete burnout is characterised by three main components: emotional exhaustion, reduced accomplishment and sport devaluation. Emotional exhaustion occurs when the athlete experiences a sense of physical and emotional exhaustion. The athletes are normally hesitant to communicate with their coaches and team-mates as they do not want to appear weak and unable to play or train. They tend to be moody and frustrated which leads to a greater amount of emotional exhaustion. A sense of reduced accomplishment is influenced by the athlete's doubts about their ability to continue and perform to their standard. When the athlete is unable to reverse these feelings, they try harder, however, this can result in further deterioration …show more content…

It tells us that people learn by observing others and a number of the extrinsic factors affecting their behaviour. These factors include social interactions and influences. Therefore, this implies that the environment an athlete is in can affect their thoughts and feelings towards their chosen sport (Bandura, 2002). For example, many athletes may act have a certain attitude towards their sport because their team-mates do. There are three main concepts to this theory. The personal aspect which displays if the athlete has high or low self-efficacy. The behavioural factor which is the response the player receives after a match or training and how they act upon that (Badura, 1989). For example, if the player receives praise from their coach or supporters after a match, it may motivate to continue to do what they are doing and keep performing to a high standard. The environmental factor can also influence a player's ability to successfully complete a behaviour. For example, the atmosphere when playing a match can either have a positive or negative effect on how the player …show more content…

They must make sure their data collection is relevant for the study. When measuring burnout, many researchers use questionnaires as a way to collect data. These questionnaires are anonymous so athletes are more likely to answer the questions more accurately. The most common questionnaire used to measure burnout is the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ). The ABQ was established by Raedeke and Smith (2001) in order to assess athlete burnout. It is measured on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from almost never (1) to almost always (5). The ABQ measures three key factors of burnout, reduced sense of accomplishment, emotional and physical exhaustion and sport

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