DROPOUTS VERSUS BURNOUTS: WHY WE QUIT ACTIVITIES WE

LOVE

Damon BurtonUniversity of Idaho

What is the difference between dropouts and burnouts?

DROPOUTS VERSUS BURNOUTS

• Dropouts – don’t get their achievement needs met (i.e., aren’t improving or don’t win enough)

• Burnouts – still get their achievement needs met but the costs of meeting those needs outweigh the benefits received.

DROPOUTS• Not Meeting Achievement Needs – means not

reaching your achievement goals. outcome – don’t win or socially compare

well, performance – fail to improve, learn and/or

perform well, power – don’t gain leadership

opportunities, social – can’t 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?

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?

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.

STAGES OF BURNOUT• Emotional and Physical Exhaustion – the

slow process of breaking down emotionally and/or physically.

• Decreased Feelings of Accomplishment – feel you’re 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.

PARTICIPATION AND WITHDRAWAL MODEL

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

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,

• doesn’t care anymore,

• stops being fun,

• isn’t motivated anymore,

• takes too much time,

• too much work, and

• tired of wrestling.

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.

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.

SCANLAN’S 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 can’t 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.

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.

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.

RAEDEKE’S 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.

RAEDEKE’S 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.

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.

SMITH’S (1986) ATHLETE BURNOUT STUDY MODEL

GOULD ET AL. (1996) BURNOUT STUDY EVALUATION

MODEL

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.

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).

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.

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).

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.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF OVERTRAINING VS BURNOUT

Overtraining• Apathy,• Lethargy,• Sleep disturbance,• Weight loss,• Muscle soreness,• Elevated resting heart

rate and blood pressure,

• Mood change, • Loss of appetite, and• Slow workout recovery

Burnout• 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.

GOULD ET AL. (1996) QUALITATIVE BURNOUT STUDY

•Advice to players included: • Play for your own reasons,

• Balance tennis with other things,

• Don’t play if it’s not fun,

• Try to make it fun,

• Relax,

• Take time off, and

• Other factors.

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.

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.

MOTVATIONAL MAP BURNOUT CASE COMPARISON