Achievement motivation processes

The pursuit of competence is fundamental to physical activity, regardless of whether that activity occurs in organized competitive sport or in less structured leisure-time pursuits. People naturally strive to feel effective in their physical activities, but such competence can be pursued in a variety of ways with different consequences. Achievement motivation theories attempt to explain the processes that energize and orient these competence strivings. This chapter reviews the psychometric properties of measures used to assess the most common and relevant achievement motivation processes for people engaged in sport and exercise activities.