ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the psychological characteristics that distinguish expert or elite athletes from novices or non-elites. Play is sometimes defined as voluntarily and freely being engaged in an activity with involvement in the activity as an end in itself. Self-determination theory proposes that people have certain intrinsic needs, among them the need for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. Intrinsic motivation is regarded as the most self-determined or autonomous form of motivation, whereas different types of extrinsic motivation are less self-determined or more controlled. A central component of Ericsson’s deliberate practice framework is that the purpose of deliberate practice is to improve performance, and this activity is enjoyable in itself. In qualitative interviews, Olympic/world championship-level athletes expressed being incredibly committed to achieving their goals in sport. Self-regulation of learning has been defined as the extent to which individuals are metacognitively, motivationally, and behaviorally proactive participants in their own learning process.
