sports Psychology

Factors Related to Athletic Burnout

Situational demands

· High conflicting demands

· Lack of control or powerlessness; dependency

· High expectations on the part of self and others

· Low social support

· Excessive demands on time

· Limited social relationships

· Parental involvement: restrictive, inconsistent feedback, negative feedback

· Coach involvement: inconsistent feedback, negative feedback

· Injuries

· Training loads: repetitive, high volume, number of competitions

Cognitive appraisal of the situation

· Perceived overload

· Few meaningful accomplishments

· Lack of meaning and devaluation of activity

· Lack of enjoyment

· Chronic stress

· Learned helplessness

· Decreased life satisfaction

· Identity crisis

· Stifled; trapped

Physiological and psychological responses

· Decreased motivation

· Fatigue

Physiological and psychological responses (continued)

· Decreased concentration

· Weight gain or loss

· Illness or injury susceptibility

· Moodiness and impatience

· Poor sleep

· Anger; irritability

· Muscle soreness

· Boredom

Behavioral responses

· Physical withdrawal

· Emotional withdrawal

· Psychological withdrawal

· Decreased performance

· Giving up during play, tanking

· Rigid, inappropriate behavior

· Interpersonal difficulties

· Lowered school performance

Personality and motivation factors

· High trait anxiety

· Low self-esteem and low perceived competence

· Competitive orientations: fear of failure, fear of poor evaluation

· Unidimensional self-concept

· High need to please others

· Low assertiveness

· Self-critical

· Perfectionism

· Low perceived control

· Low frustration

From R.S. Weinberg and D. Gould, 2019,
Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology Web Study Guide, 7E (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).