Motivation and burnout in professional rugby players

Citation

Cresswell SL & Eklund R (2005) Motivation and burnout in professional rugby players. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 76 (3), pp. 370-376. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2005.10599309

Abstract
First paragraph: For some time, researchers have shown interest in athlete burnout (e.g., Coakley, 1992; Gould, Udry, Tuffey, & Loehr, 1996; Smith, 1986). Athlete burnout is a concern in sport for various reasons, including the potential negative consequences for performance and welfare (Smith, 1986). Burnout is an experiential syndrome with three central characteristics: (a) emotional and physical exhaustion, (b) reduced accomplishment, and (c) devaluation or cynicism (Maslach, 1982; Raedeke, 1997; Raedeke & Smith, 2001; Schutte, Toppinen, Kalimo, & Schaufeli, 2000). Researchers have forwarded stressbased (Smith, 1986) and commitment-related (Raedeke, 1997) explanations to account for the occurrence of athlete burnout. More recently, Cresswell and Eklund (in press) proposed that self-determination theory (SDT) may provide an encompassing explanation of the phenomenon.

Keywords
amotivation; external regulation; intrinsic motivation

Journal
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport: Volume 76, Issue 3