Psychological Foundations of Athlete Engagement: The Role of Motivation and Passion

This thesis examines the psychological foundations of athlete engagement, focusing on the roles of motivation and passion and on how the characteristics of different sports may influence these processes. Athlete engagement is first traced from its origins in work and organizational psychology to its development as a sport-specific construct, defined by four dimensions: confidence, dedication, vigour, and enthusiasm. Building on this framework, motivation is examined through Self-Determination Theory, with particular attention to the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness and their role in the development of self-determined motivation. Passion, and specifically Vallerand’s Dualistic Model of Passion, is then considered as a complementary construct that may help explain why athletes with similar motivational profiles can nevertheless experience engagement differently, with harmonious passion generally associated with more adaptive patterns of involvement than obsessive passion. The influence of coaches and parents is also considered, particularly in relation to the development of motivation, passion, and engagement during youth sport. The thesis then examines how the characteristics of different sports may shape these psychological processes, focusing on individual and team sports as well as aesthetic and weight-class sports. The literature reviewed suggests that different sporting contexts may place greater emphasis on different psychological needs and relational influences while still supporting comparable levels of motivation and engagement. At the same time, aesthetic and weight-class sports may expose athletes to specific appearance-, performance-, and weight-related pressures that can influence their motivational experiences and the development of passion. Overall, this thesis argues that athlete engagement cannot be fully understood independently of the context in which it develops. Rather, it reflects the interaction between motivational and passion-related processes and the relational and structural characteristics of sport, highlighting the importance of considering these factors when supporting athletes.