Motivation is an internal state that intervenes by directing our learning. When we learn to initially control our motor behavior on skis, further learning depends on our motivation.
Interpreted as the combination of internal and external factors, it is the basis of the behavior that prompts action. Its general characteristics are the drive to ski, a persistence, an increased energy and activity level, and the willingness to reach a certain goal; in short, self-motivation means ‘wanting‘ to learn.
When we set out to achieve certain goals, we generally take responsibility for our own learning. Thus, we tend towards self-esteem for our achievements and maturity in the face of our failures. While all learning situations generate a certain amount of anxiety, a motivation too high can affect our learning process by causing too much anxiety and/or fear of failure.
Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
We recognized intrinsic motives (pleasure in skiing) and extrinsic motives related to our own aspiration (e.g., to become good skiers or athletes). Our motives are states of disposition that provide an incentive to achieve certain accomplishments. These motives include, in addition to purposes, interests and attitudes towards what is to be learned.
Instructors and coaches motivate their learners and athletes but this does not mean that they will learn or improve their performance because this type of motivation is generally externally oriented. Learning or improvement occurs only when internal motivation activates our brain’s reward system. These facilitators should not be concerned with finding out how to motivate the skiers (extrinsic motivation) but rather with detecting what is motivating them to learn (intrinsic motivation).
When these professionals base their teaching exclusively on providing extrinsic rewards (getting down the slope, achieving a result, etc.), learning tends to decline. Extrinsic rewards are attractive so we are motivated in some way but neglect the learning that really matters. Achieving a good result is a reward but figuring out what and why we did to get to that result generates learning.
Extrinsic motivations help to take our first steps in learning how to ski because we don’t know or recognize what it is that we will enjoy about skiing. We are driven by this type of motivation until becoming aware of the aspects that trigger internal motives to continue learning. Extrinsic motivation can also be used in situations of difficulty or fatigue. It is applied at the end of a training session or a lesson when accepting the proposal to do one more run and, in these situations, it is coupled to intrinsic motivation.
We may take the learning of technique as part of our intentions. In this case we focus on the process, that is, on learning, not on the result; this is a classic example of intrinsic motivation. We may also be motivated by the results or achievements we will obtain. By winning a race or going down the most difficult run our extrinsic motivation is focused on the result instead on learning.
Extrinsic rewards can be to go down such a slope, to slide faster, or to complete it in the shortest time possible. Intrinsic rewards, on the other hand, are geared toward learning to ski with speed control, to control balance on bumps, or to learn to anticipate the gates on a slalom course.
Intrinsic motivation is generated because the activity itself is stimulating and generated by ourselves. Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is based on the consequences of our behavior, having its origin in the instructor, coach, friends, or family.
The elements that make up the internal motives are needs, tendencies, impulses, and instincts, all understood as “motivational states” that generate the energy of our behavior. External motives are also considered as “incentive factors“, providing the direction of behavior. It can be concluded that extrinsic motivation or reward is that which gives rise to the intrinsic one.
Affectivity and self-motivation
Affectivity influences self-motivation since this depends on how we feel: if our feelings are positive, our motivation increases and vice versa if they are negative. Our emotions intervene directly on the self-motivation to do something, modifying our attitude and, therefore, our behavior.
Skiing means acting in a certain way according to how we want to ski. We are motivated if what we are doing is what we want and, on the contrary, we will avoid it if it is something we do not want, something unpleasant or threatening to our well-being. This also influences our attitude towards learning: we learn what we like and this motivates us to continue learning because we feel emotionally good.
Mastery goals and competence goals
Motivation theory explains that one of the factors of motivation is the need to demonstrate our competence, i.e. when performing in a certain situation, we normally try to exhibit proficiency or to avoid showing a lack of it.
Two types of competence are distinguished. One is related to competition with others: we consider ourselves as competent if we have achieved a better performance than others, i.e. a social comparison in which our motivation is competitively oriented. If we are competitively oriented, we may fall into believing that success reflects superiority. For us, effort is an ambiguous investment since we tend to believe that a success achieved on the basis of considerable effort can be minimized or scorned; while a significant one that ends in failure may be complex to justify. If we are oriented towards competitive purposes, we may tend to desist in the face of failure since it may affect our aptitudinal feeling.
The other conception of competence refers to the individual standard. We seek to achieve a standard performance determined by mastery, which is independent of the performance of others. In this case, our motivation is oriented towards personal mastery in which we perceive success as dependent on our effort and persistence. We may consider mistakes and failures as natural components of learning motor skills and learn from them without affecting our efforts.
The brain reward system as a motivation to keep learning
There would seem to be a connection between executing movements and taking pleasure in doing so, at least it would appear to be so in activities such as dancing or playing.
The movements performed when skiing produce a feeling of pleasure, of satisfaction for an action well achieved. We feel pleasure in executing movements but also in imagining them. Likewise, we are curious to know if the movements to be executed will give us a reward of pleasure. In this case, we are anticipating the sensation of pleasure that we may experience and this is what motivates us to continue skiing. Feeling rewarded by the sensation of achievement and for having reached our goal of correctly executing planned movements predisposes the continuity of our motivation.
Success can be thought of as progress towards a goal. By reaching our aspirations, our brain reward system continuously feeds intrinsic motivation. Similarly, great pleasure is experienced when a well-executed movement or action is recognized through the effects it caused.
Movements allow us to discover new sensations that will allow to advance in learning. On the contrary, a limitation of movements, as in our initial stages of learning in which we were characterized by a restriction of the degrees of articular freedom, tends to generate displeasure and therefore, little or no reward. More pleasure is experienced in the type of learning that gives sensations of progress and control since it involves making decisions. On the other hand, when memory activation is required, more effort is expended so our feeling of pleasure tends to decrease.
Self-motivation in competitive skiing
The following motivations can be highlighted in the athlete:
- The need to experience sensations provoked by the activity.
- The need for affiliation, i.e., to integrate socially and demonstrate physical and technical ability.
- The interest in competing to cover the need for self-affirmation, self-esteem, and social recognition.
- The need to escape-avoidance while practicing the activity.
We can conclude that:
- Self-motivation is the effort that drives us to achieve our goals.
- Being able to do something does not mean wanting to do it. Our motive is the cause, recognized or hidden, of our behavior.
- Self-motivation is the factor responsible for the commitment to the acquisition of a motor skill.
- It is a temporary and changing state due to a new stimulus or changes in the environment.
- Self-motivation is based on striving for personal success, perseverance despite failure, and pride in performance.
- Easily attainable goals do not generate stimulation to achieve them. Moderately difficult ones are sources of motivation and satisfaction. Those that are beyond the reach of our own resources can even demotivate and demoralize.
- We feel motivated to learn when that which is to be learned is of interest and value to us.
