PhD, Associate Professor S.V. Voronin¹
Dr. Sc. Psych., Professor T.D. Dubovitskaya¹
PhD, Associate Professor L.A. Bazaleva¹
PhD, Associate Professor A.V. Shashkov¹
PhD, Associate Professor L.K. Fedyakina^1
1Sochi State University, Sochi

Keywords: elite sports, professional and applied sports, priority values, professional career, success motivations

Background. A professional career – interpreted as the vocational activity field and progress therein – may be successful when driven by high determinations, natural gifts and success motivations; with the modern professional sport careers known to require high mastery and competitive skills. As provided by N.B. Stambulova [4], sport careers nowadays start up relatively early and imply persistent self-perfection agenda and a good psychological support to attain high goals in one or a few sports disciplines. Professional sport careers and related issues have been subject to many theoretical studies [2, 3, 5]. Individual progress avenues in sports on the whole and their specific fields in particular are known to be largely determined by the personal value systems and priorities (referred to herein as the ‘priority values’). As provided by V. Shein, they form internal success motivations and ‘career anchors’. It could be beneficial in this context to rate the individual priority values systems on a sport-specific basis – in the way it was made, for example, by A.A. Bobrishcheva, K.V. Motovicheva [1] in their analysis of the priority values in martial arts on a training stage specific basis.

Objective of the study was to rate priority values in sports groups classified by the progress levels.

Methods and structure of the study. We used for the purposes of our empirical study the E. Schein Career Anchors questionnaire for the priority values rating; and the Y.M. Orlov Success Motivation Test. We sampled for the tests students of Sochi State University specialized in the physical education, physical education and sports and adaptive physical education disciplines. The sample was split up into Elite Sports group (n=27); and Professional Applied Sports group (n=42) showing significant differences in their group lifestyles, physical training styles and volitional efforts; with the Elite Sports group obviously trained much harder and exposed to higher mental stressors and, hence, developing the relevant values systems and priorities for progress.

Results and discussion. The sample priority values test data processed by the standard mathematical statistics toolkit are given in Table 1 hereunder.

Table 1. Priority values test rates of the Elite Sports and Professional Applied Sports groups

A comparative analysis of the priority values arithmetic means found the Elite Sports group leading on the following priority values rating scales: professional competence (p <0.05), challenge (p <0.01); and stable household (p <0.05); whilst the Professional Applied Sports group was rated higher than the Elite Sports one on the independence scale (p <0.05). These test rates may be interpreted as follows. The Elite Sports group is more focused on the rivalry, competitive success, solutions of challenging problems, stress coping, fighting spirit and victory. The group also demonstrates high self-perfection agendas and achievement motivations. At the same time, the higher Elite Sports rates on the stable household scale may be interpreted as indicative of the desire to have a peaceful place to rest after the multiple trips and competitive stresses. Furthermore, the Elite Sports group was tested with the relatively higher rates on the success motivations scale that the Professional Applied Sports group (15.8 vs. 14.5 points, respectively; U-emp = 386, p <0.05). That means that the Elite Sports group is determined to surpass the own and others’ best results, shows great determination in the stress coping, goal achieving and problems solving domains.

The Professional Applied Sports group generally showed a higher need for freedom and independence in the professional field, decision-making independence and intolerance to the imposed rules, daily/ dietary regimens, and any interference in the habitual behavioral patterns. This means that the athletes, even when they have necessary psychophysical resource for progress in sports, may be reluctant to mobilize the resource for success if they internally resist to any limitations for their lifestyles imposed by sports. Once involved in sports, they may, due to different circumstances and upon making first successes in sports, still find more attractive fields that offer more perceived freedom and less restrict them by responsibilities and requirements, i.e. give more means to independently determine their own professional/ personality progress avenues. It is not unusual, however, that they opt for progress in the fields where their sports skills are highly valuable.

It is noteworthy that both groups were tested equally high on the service scale (35.98 vs. 36.63 points). Sports careers are known to claim high volitional efforts with the athletes often having to surpass their natural abilities and resources for success, overcome pain and multiple discomforts. That is why every sport develops its values and semantics system with contributions from the coaches, families, sports psychologists, peer athletes, mass media, etc., with the relevant indoctrination culture. As a result, every athlete strives to serve his/her motherland, bring spiritual and practical benefits for the compatriots, make the own life and others’ lives better and thereby attain the personal life and self-assertion goals.

Conclusion. Based on the priority values rating tests, the Elite Sports group was tested higher than Professional Applied Sports group on the professional competence (career progress motivations) and challenge (stress coping, fighting spirit and desire to win) scales, plus the higher success motivations; whilst the Professional Applied Sports group was tested higher on the independence/ autonomy scale (desire to be free and independent in the professional field unlimited by rules, be unrestricted in the decision-making etc.). Both of the groups were tested equally high on the service scale – that may be interpreted as their moral fitness to meet serious sports-specific problems and challenges. The study data and findings are recommended for application in the career-driving priority values rating tests for the sports selection and training purposes.

References

1. Bobrishchev A.A., Motovichev K.V. Career orientations of martial artists with different levels of psychological fitness for competitive activity in extreme situations [Electronic document] https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/kariernye-orientatsii-sportsmenov-silo... (date of access: 21.07.19).
2. Gorskaya G.B., Baykovsky Yu.V., Voshchinin A.V.  [ed.] Psychological resources and barriers of athletes' self-realization at different stages of sports career. Rudikov conference: Proc. XIII International res.-practical conference of Physical education and sports psychologists (May 11-12, 2017). M.: RGUFKSMiT publ., 2017. pp. 141-145.
3. Makarova I.N. Technologies of academic mental conditioning of athletes for Sochi 2014 Olympics. Vestnik Sochinskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta turizma i kurortnogo dela. 2009. no. 4 (10). pp. 70-79.
4. Stambulova N.B. Psychology of sports career. Doct. diss. abstr.. St. Petersburg, 1999.  41 p.
5. Wylleman P.R.F. The career development of elite athletes: a life-span perspective. 2004 Pre-Olympic Congress. Proceedings. V.1. Thessaloniki, 2004. pp. 14-15.

Corresponding author: in-makarova@yandex.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to compare value orientations that differ in the degree of their involvement in sports activity.

Methods and structure of research. During the empirical study the following research methods were applied: the "Career Anchors" questionnaire by E. Schein for determining career-related value orientations; technique of diagnostics of the need for achievements. Sampled for the study were the sporting students of Sochi State University.

Results of the study. It has been established that elite athletes are characterized by the higher levels of the following value orientations: "Expertise" (orientation towards sports perfection, achievement of high results) and "Challenge" (readiness to overcome obstacles, struggle and strive for victory). They also demonstrated higher indicators of the need for achievements (desire to exceed the results achieved, perseverance when overcoming obstacles and achieving the set goal). The athletes involved in applied professional physical training had higher indicators on the "Self-government" scale (desire to be free and independent in their professional field, not to be limited by strict rules, to make decisions independently). Being involved in sports by force of various circumstances and having achieved certain results at the initial training stages by utilizing natural potentials, such athletes find more attractive occupations and, thus, can retire from elite sports as they go forward. It is noteworthy that the highest indicators for both groups of athletes were registered on the "Serving" scale (desire to serve people, to make life better, protect other people’s rights, help them in own professional activity).

Conclusion. The results obtained can be used during sport selection, since they help identify those who are truly focused on the highest achievements, ready to overcome difficulties, life obstacles and trials of their will power; as well as during trainings, as they stimulate the development and maintenance of relevant value orientations and personality traits.