Motivational Orientation in University Athletes: Predictions Based on Emotional Intelligence

Abstract

While in task orientation, athletes tend to compare themselves to others in order to evaluate their success, in ego orientation athletes have the ability to distinguish between effort and ability and the comparison is made with others in order to evaluate success. The purpose of this study was to inspect the relationship concerning the three dimensions of emotional intelligence (attention, clarity, and emotional regulation) and the two predominant motivational orientations: task-oriented motivation and ego-oriented motivation. The sample was composed of a total of 165 university students from studies within the field of sciences related to sport and physical activity. The main contributions of this research demonstrate the correspondence between emotional intelligence and ego-orientation.