Ommundsen, Y., & Roberts, G. C. (1996). Goal orientations and perceived purposes of training among elite athletes. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 83, 463-471.

This study examined the relation of goal orientations (task-oriented, ego-oriented) to perceived purposes of involvement in training in Norwegian athletes (M = 123; F = 107) representing eight individual and team sports. Athletes' perceived purposes of training included social status, social relations, sport achievement, and physique and health.

Ss with ego-oriented goals strongly endorsed status reasons and sport achievement for participating in training. Task-oriented Ss reported a high preference for social purposes (e.g., improved social relations, being with friends, meeting other people) and sport achievement.

Implication. How athletes train could be influenced by why athletes train. Ego-oriented athletes might perform negatively if performance decreases. Task-oriented athletes might be able to sustain motivation in the fact of poor performances because the social purposes for training would be unaltered. Achievement is a motivator independent of goal-orientation and should be a universal feature of training experiences.

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