Examining the Interrelationships between Motivation, Conscientiousness, and Individual Endurance Sport Performance

Personality traits and motivation have been predictive of athletic success. Conscientiousness, intrinsic motivation (IM), and extrinsic motivation (EM) positively predict sport performance, while amotivation (AM) has a negative impact. This study examined the effects of both sport motivation and conscientiousness on athletic performance. Methods included a cross-sectional survey study of endurance athletes (N = 73); including runners (56.1%), swimmers (19.2%), triathletes (6.8%), rowers (2.7%), and multi-sport athletes (15.1%). Conscientiousness and motivation were assessed using questionnaires. Subjective ratings and objective scores of a recent performance(s) were collected. Regression analyses demonstrated that conscientiousness positively predicted IM and negatively predicted AM. AM negatively predicted subjective performance. IM and EM were not significant predictors of subjective performance. No variable significantly predicted objective performance. Results support the deleterious role of AM in performance. Compared to IM and EM, AM might be a more relevant construct when predicting performance in a sample of athletes with varying degrees of commitment. This construct may be of particular interest to clinicians due to its association with athletic burnout. Conscientiousness may serve as a protective factor against burnout.