A Study on Effect of Competitive Aggressiveness, Anger and Anxiety on Confidence and Achievement Motivation in Athletes.

Abstract

Athletes compete to achieve a set of goals like other athletes. They put a lot of hard work, dedication, focus and energy to win which is referred to as competitiveness.  Competition in athletes is important to motivate them for better performance which in turn is focused on gaining superiority over an opponent. Competition is good among athletes because it has an impact on self-discipline, and attitude toward other fellow athletes. Competitive aggressiveness is a pattern of behaviour that is encountered in a sports environment. It is sometimes defined as a negative personality feature. Anger is characterised by active hostility towards someone or something. Anxiety is an emotion characterised by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes. It is a subjective feeling of apprehension and heightened physiological arousal. Confidence is the ability of an individual to deal and face the situation. It helps an individual to develop self and abilities. Achievement motivation is the strive to increase one's own capabilities to achieve goals. It refers to the level of one's motivation to engage in achievement behaviour. The research aims to study the relationship of competitive aggressiveness, anger, anxiety, achievement motivation, and confidence among athletes. Standardised tools are used to measure competitive aggressiveness, anger, anxiety, achievement motivation and confidence among athletes. A total sample of 100 in the age group of 18 - 25 years is collected. The results found out that there is a significant positive correlation between aggressiveness and anger, as well as between anxiety and anger.  Results found that there was a negative correlation between confidence and anger, achievement motivation and anger, confidence and aggressiveness, confidence and anxiety, achievement motivation and anxiety. Regression analysis indicated that aggressiveness and anxiety are  significant predictors of anger. It is suggested for athletes to practise positive self-talk, deep breathing exercise to get themselves back from negative thoughts and channelize all the energy in an effective way.