1. HOW PERCEPTIONS OF SUCCESS AND GOALS IMPACT MOTIVATION
Damon Burton
University of Idaho

2. What is success? AND How do we define it?

3. IS SUCCESS SUBJECTIVE OR OBJECTIVE?
What is objective success?
How does it differ from subjective success?
Give me an example of objective success.
Provide an example of subjective success.

4. OBJECTIVE VERSUS SUBJECTIVE SUCCESS
Objective Success – winning or placing high in a race.
Subjective Success – reaching a valued goal such as playing slightly beyond your current performance capabilities (CPC).

5. Which type of success is more feasible and controllable?

6. MAEHR & NICHOLLS (1980)
Success and failure are not objective events BUT subjective perceptions of each individual.
Perceived success and failure are defined based on whether performance exceeds goals.

7. MAEHR & NICHOLLS (1980) Goals define success and failure 2 ways
what you are trying to accomplish or personal attributes you value
degree to which performance meets or exceeds goal standards
Primary Achievement Goals
social approval
ability
task/intrinsic

8. PRIMARY ACHIEVEMENT GOALS
Social Approval – others tell you that you did well
Ability – socially compare well and demonstrate competence
Task/Intrinsic – learning, mastery and self-comparison

9. MEASURING ACHIEVEMENT GOALS

10. Does success or failure mean the same thing to EACH of us?

11. CONCEPTS CLOSEST AND FARTHEST FROM SUCCESS

12. CONCEPTS CLOSEST AND FARTHEST FROM FAILURE

13. Do we define these terms the same way?

14. If not, are there gender, racial, ethnic or cultural differences in definitions of success and failure?

15. CONCEPTS CLOSEST AND FARTHEST FROM FAILURE

16. SUCCESS IS DEFINED IN TERMS OF VALUES
Values are learned attitudes.
Values are influenced by . . .
gender roles learned from significant others
cultural values
racial and ethnic-based norms and beliefs
religious doctrine
other groups that influence how we view the world and decide what is important

17. How do we measure subjective perceptions of success and failure?

18. ANTECEDENT S OF SUCCESS

19. ANTECEDENT S OF FAILURE

20. CONSEQUENCES OF SUCCESS

21. CONSEQUENCES OF FAILURE

22. CONSEQUENCES OF SPORT SUCCESS

23. CONSEQUENCES OF SPORT FAILURE

24. PERCEPTIONS OF SUCCESS
Research confirms that success and failure are subjective terms that reflect gender, racial, ethnic and cultural –based personality, attitudes, values and learning experiences.
Definitions of success and failure will differ across and within groups based on how these factors determine personally valued goals.

25. What role to goals play in definitions of success and failure?

26. ROLE OF GOALS IN MOTIVATION

27. NICHOLLS’ (1984) MOTIVATIONAL ORIENTATION
Built on Maehr & Nicholls (1980) research on perceptions of success by combining “social approval” and “ability” goals into a single motivational orientation he termed “ego-involvement.”
Similarly, he combined “intrinsic” and “task” goals into a motivational orientation he termed “task-involvement.”

28. NICHOLLS’ (1984) MOTIVATIONAL ORIENTATIONS
Ego-Involvement – perceptions of ability are based on comparison with other competitors (e.g., placing high and/or winning/losing).
Task-Involvement – perceptions of success are based on learning, improving or surpassing personal performance standards (e.g., setting a PR).
TI performers assume enough ability to learn and improve.
TI competitors may not consider they fail because they are challenged and take a problem-solving approach.

29. CHARACTERISTICS OF EGO-INVOLVEMENT
Ability is viewed as “capacity”
The EI concept of ability is a complex evaluation that includes:
opponents’ ability
outcome
effort expenditure
EI performers perceive they have high ability when they socially compare well and win often.

30. CHARACTERISTICS OF TASK-INVOLVEMENT
Ability is viewed as “mastery”
The EI concept of ability involves a simpler evaluation that includes:
performance
effort expenditure
EI performers perceive they have high ability when they socially compare well and win often.

31. GOALS OF SUCCESS- AND FAILURE-ORIENTED ATHLETES
Success-Oriented
Failure-Oriented
Outcome -- Consistent and/or positive social comparison (e.g., win)
Recognition – consistently get recognition, attention and rewards
Social – consistent positive social interactions
Performance – consistent improvement and high personal involvement
Outcome – inconsistent and/or negative social comparison (e.g., lose)
Recognition –consistently fail to get recognition, attention and rewards
Social – inconsistent or negative social interactions
Performance – inconsistent or minimal improvement and low personal involvement.