DROPOUTS VERSUS BURNOUTS: WHY WE QUIT ACTIVITIES WE LOVE

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DROPOUTS VERSUS BURNOUTS WHY WE QUIT ACTIVITIES
WE LOVE

• Damon Burton
• University of Idaho

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• What is the difference between dropouts and
  burnouts?

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DROPOUTS VERSUS BURNOUTS

• Dropouts dont get their achievement needs met
  (i.e., arent improving or dont win enough)
• Burnouts still get their achievement needs met
  but the costs of meeting those needs outweigh the
  benefits received.

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DROPOUTS

• Not Meeting Achievement Needs means not
  reaching your achievement goals.
• outcome dont win or socially compare well,
• performance fail to improve, learn and/or
  perform well,
• power dont gain leadership opportunities,
• social cant make friends, hang out with them
  and/or develop social skills,
• involvement pursue goals you value.
• Dropouts report finding other things to do.
• Do dropouts really find other activities more
  intrinsically motivating or is it just a
  socially acceptable reason to quit when goals
  are not met and they perceive they have low
  ability?

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BURNOUTS

• Still Meeting Achievement Needs means
  continuing to reach valued goals.
• outcome win or socially compare well,
• performance improve, learn and/or perform well,
• power gain leadership opportunities,
• social make friends, hang out with them and
  develop social skills
• involvement pursue goals you value.
• What are the costs of meeting achievement needs
  that may eventually outweigh the benefits?

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CHARACTERISTICS OF BURNOUT

• Physical and Emotional Exhaustion in the form
  of lost concern, energy, interest and trust.
• More Negative Responses to Others impersonal ,
  unfeeling and uncaring.
• Low Feelings of Accomplishment often prompting
  low self-esteem, failure and depression that
  reduces productivity and performance levels.
• Long-Term Response accumulates from chronic,
  every day stress over time.

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STAGES OF BURNOUT

• Emotional and Physical Exhaustion the slow
  process of breaking down emotionally and/or
  physically.
• Decreased Feelings of Accomplishment feel
  youre no long making a contribution or
  accomplishing your goals.
• Depersonalization dissociating yourself from
  others so you become emotionally removed, distant
  and unconcerned.
• Isolation a severe form of depersonalization
  in which you insulate yourself from anyone
  associated with the activity and look for excuses
  not to do it.

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PARTICIPATION AND WITHDRAWAL MODEL

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BURTON MARTENS (1986) STUDY

• Developed a dropout questionnaire that included
  23 reasons taken from previous research for why
  athletes quit sport.
• 2nd questionnaire tested motivation theory
  predictions.
• Questionnaire given to 5 wrestling-related
  populations
• participants continued to wrestle
• dropouts had left wrestling
• coaches
• participants parents
• dropouts parents

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DROPOUT QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS

• Dropout questionnaire results confirmed previous
  research that emphasized nebulus motivational
  reasons for dropping out, and put a positive spin
  on the process
• finds other things to do,
• doesnt care anymore,
• stops being fun,
• isnt motivated anymore,
• takes too much time,
• too much work, and
• tired of wrestling.

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CRANDALL MODEL RESULTS

• Parents and coaches were both seen as positive
  social support for athletes.
• Motivation (expectancy minimal standard) X
  attainment value
• Dropout results demonstrated more negative side
  of sport attrition that revolved around unmet
  needs.
• lower expectancy of future success,
• higher minimal standard, and
• only slightly lower attainment value.

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RAEDEKE (2001) SPORT COMMITMENT MODEL OF BURNOUT

• Burnout focuses on emotional exhaustion,
  depersonalization and reduced accomplishment
  among individuals who work with people.
• For athletes, burnout defined in terms of
  performance.
• Scanlan colleagues (1986) Sport Commitment
  Model looks at persistence in sport.

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SCANLANS SPORT COMMITMENT MODEL

• Sport enjoyment a positive affective response
  to the experience.
• Involvement alternatives attractiveness of most
  preferred alternate options.
• Personal investments resources that are put
  into the activity that cant be recovered if
  participation stops.
• Involvement opportunities valued opportunities
  only available thru continued participation.
• Social constraints social norms which create a
  feeling of obligation to remain in the sport.

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OTHER BURNOUT MODELS

• Coakley (1992) believes burnout comes from a
  unidimensional athletic identity.
• Schmidt and Stein (1991) identified the 3 primary
  determinants of athlete commitment
• satisfaction based on the costs vs. benefits of
  sport participation,
• attractiveness of alternate options,
• resources athletes have invested in sport.
• Athletes are burnout candidates if they are
  committed to sport for entrapment reasons.
• High costs and low rewards reduce enjoyment
• Involvement maintained because (a) too much
  invested to quit and (b) few attractive
  alternatives.

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OTHER BURNOUT MODELS

• Sport Attraction Model predicts that athletes
  are committed to sport because
• They enjoy participation.
• They experience high rewards and low costs
  associated with participation.
• They have heavily invested substantial time and
  energy into the sport they love and feel it is
  more attractive than alternate activities.

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RAEDEKES BURNOUT RESULTS

• Based on the commitment model components,
  swimmers clustered into 4 profile groups.
• Malcontented high alternate attractiveness,
  costs and social constraints and low enjoyment,
  benefits, investments, swim identity and control.
• Enthusiastic high enjoyment, benefits, swim
  identity, control and investments, and low costs,
  attractive alternatives, and social constraints.
• Obligated high social constraints, investments,
  swim identity, costs and attractive alternatives,
  and low control, benefits and enjoyment.
• Indifferent moderate control, attractive
  alternatives and costs, and low swim identity,
  investments, social constraints, benefits and
  enjoyment.

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RAEDEKES BURNOUT RESULTS

• Based on the 3 burnout dimensions, swimmers
  profile groups scored
• Malcontented highest on physical emotional
  exhaustion, reduced swim accomplishment and swim
  devaluation.
• Enthusiastic lowest on 3 dimensions of burnout.
• Obligated moderately high on exhaustion and
  reduced swim accomplishment and moderately low on
  swim devaluation.
• Indifferent 2nd lowest on all three components
  of burnout.

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GOULD ET AL. (1996) JUNIOR TENNIS BURNOUT STUDY

• Study 1 -- Quantitative study compared
  participants and burnouts on a variety of
  demographic and background variables and a range
  of instruments measuring motivation, burnout and
  self-concept.
• Study 2 -- Qualitative study looked at burnout
  dimensions and advice for players, parents and
  coaches.

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SMITHS (1986) ATHLETE BURNOUT STUDY MODEL
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GOULD ET AL. (1996) BURNOUT STUDY EVALUATION
MODEL
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GOULD ET AL. (1996) QUANTITATIVE BURNOUT STUDY

• Participants and burnouts differed significantly
  on 6 demographic and background variables
• input into training,
• play high school,
• too many tournaments,
• years played up,
• days practiced/week, and
• age began competing.

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GOULD ET AL. (1996) QUANTITATIVE BURNOUT STUDY

• Participants and burnouts differed significantly
  on 3 psychological and 2 coping variables
• amotivation,
• extrinsic motivation, and
• withdrawal.
• planning (PM), and
• positive reinterpretation (EM).

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GOULD ET AL. (1996) QUANTITATIVE BURNOUT STUDY

• Participants and burnouts differed significantly
  on 5 perfectionism but no trait anxiety and
  athlete identity variables
• parental criticism,
• parental expectations,
• personal standards,
• organization, and
• concern over mistakes.

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GOULD ET AL. (1996) QUALITATIVE BURNOUT STUDY

• General burnout dimensions based on raw data
  themes included
• physical concerns (12 raw data themes physical
  problems poor play),
• logistical concerns (13 RD themes time demands,
  travel concerns school issues),
• social/interpersonal concerns (24 RD themes
  lack of social life, parental influences
  dissatisfaction with those involved),
• psychological concerns (51 RD themes
  unfulfilled expectations, low enjoyment,
  motivation noncompetitive personality).

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GOULD ET AL. (1996) MENTAL SYMPTOMS OF BURNOUT

• Still motivated to play,
• Low motivation and energy,
• Negative emotions and affect,
• Feelings of isolation,
• Concentration problems, and
• Both highs and low.

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SIGNS SYMPTOMS OF OVERTRAINING VS BURNOUT

• Overtraining

• Burnout

• Apathy,
• Lethargy,
• Sleep disturbance,
• Weight loss,
• Muscle soreness,
• Elevated resting heart rate and blood pressure,
• Mood change,
• Loss of appetite, and
• Slow workout recovery

• Loss of desire to play,
• Lack of caring,
• Sleep disturbance,
• Physical and mental exhaustion,
• Lowered self-esteem,
• Headaches,
• Mood changes,
• Substance abuse,
• Emotional isolation, and
• Increased anxiety.

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GOULD ET AL. (1996) QUALITATIVE BURNOUT STUDY

• Advice to players included
• Play for your own reasons,
• Balance tennis with other things,
• Dont play if its not fun,
• Try to make it fun,
• Relax,
• Take time off, and
• Other factors.

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GOULD ET AL. (1996) QUALITATIVE BURNOUT STUDY

• Advice to parents focused on
• Recognize the optimal amount of pushing needed,
• Lessen involvement,
• Reduce the importance of the outcome,
• Show support and empathy,
• Separate and clarify the parent/coach role, and
• Solicit player input.

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GOULD ET AL. (1996) QUALITATIVE BURNOUT STUDY

• Advice to coaches emphasized
• Promote personal involvement with the player,
• Have 2-way communication with each player,
• Utilize player input, and
• Understand players feelings.

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MOTVATIONAL MAP BURNOUT CASE COMPARISON
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The End