Quick questions on Motivation, anxiety, arousal and psychological strategies: HSC PDHPE Core 2

The relationship between arousal and performance is described by the inverted-U hypothesis (Yerkes-Dodson Law): performance rises with arousal up to an optimal point, then declines as arousal continues to rise.

Specific, structured goals direct effort and provide intermediate measures of progress. The SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) is the dominant model.

The drive comes from within the activity itself - love of the sport, the satisfaction of mastering a skill, the enjoyment of competition. Intrinsically motivated athletes train when no one is watching, persist through plateaus, and stay in the sport longer.

The drive comes from external rewards - medals, prize money, scholarships, social recognition, parental approval, school selection. Extrinsic motivation is powerful in the short term but unstable: if the reward disappears (the athlete misses selection, the prize money dries up, the parents stop watching), the motivation collapses.

The athlete is drawn toward a desired outcome - winning, improving a personal best, qualifying for a final. Positive motivation typically produces more sustainable effort and better performance than negative motivation.

The athlete is driven by fear of an undesired outcome - losing, being dropped, being shamed, disappointing a coach. Negative motivation can spike performance in the short term (athletes often perform well when scared of consequences) but corrodes long-term commitment and increases burnout and dropout.

Internal (self-doubt, perceived skill gap, fear of failure, fear of letting teammates down) and external (the importance of the event, the crowd, the opponent, the weather, equipment problems, parental or coach pressure).