How might a teacher or coach motivate a performer?

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Ben Venter                5/2/07

How might a teacher or coach motivate a performer

This essay will include the different types of motivational theories. It will illustrate the different types of motivation and how each affects the performers in various ways. Positive and negative issues of the types of motivation will be discussed to determine which is the best method of motivation and why. It will also illustrate how these motivational theories are used to motivate a performer. This essay will be concluded by stating the best motivation method, and how a coach or teacher could use it in motivating a performer.

Motivation can be described in various ways:

(English Oxford Shorter Addition 1993) described motivation as being, “…The action or an act of motivating something or someone. The stimulus, incentive, motives for action towards a goal, resulting from psychological or social factors; the factors giving purpose or direction to behaviour….”

(Kent 1994) described motivation as being, “… the internal state which tends to direct a person’s behaviour towards a goal….”

(Woods, 1998) described motivation as, “…motivation has been seen as having two aspects: it is what drives us to do things…and it makes us do particular things….”

These various descriptions of motivation are putting across all of the same points. All three statements involve an inner drive to a specific goal. These goals are achieved through arousal and the direction of the athlete’s behaviour.

There are various types of motivation such as intrinsic, extrinsic, primary, secondary, positive and negative motivation. Intrinsic motivation is a term used to describe the internal drives that allows the athlete to perform. Intrinsic motivation is linked with emotional feelings such as fun and enjoyment in participation in playing a sport. Extrinsic motivation is related to the external factors that drive an athlete to participate and perform. External factors often come in the form of rewards such as medals, badges or prizes. Primary motivation is derived from the activity itself whilst secondary motivation comes from performing for someone other than yourself. Positive motivation is the positive feeling that you get from competing which encourages you to keep playing. Negative motivation is has a negative effect resulting from losing.

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The motivational factors of a performer are linked to socialising, aggression, excellence, independence, power, stress and success. There are two ways to motivate a performer, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. There is a debate weather or not external reward undermine or enhance intrinsic motives. The desire to win could be both intrinsic and extrinsic as a performer could be striving for success to gain a sense of satisfaction or to achieve recognition, e.g. A footballer may be motivated by financial rewards, but once they reach there financial rewards they still continue to train hard as there is something inside of ...

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