Extrinsic Motivation: Short-term Gains, Long-term Costs?

The role of extrinsic motivation in athletic performance is more complex and highly dependent on context. Under certain conditions, external rewards can improve performance. Unexpected rewards that aren't perceived as controlling and instead provide informational feedback about competence may enhance or at least preserve intrinsic motivation (Deci et al, 1999). Furthermore, SDT suggests that not all forms of extrinsic motivation are equally harmful. More internalised forms, such as identified nd integrated regulation can support long term engagement in ways similar to intrinsic motivation. 

However, the most problematic form in adolescent sport is external reguylation, where participation is driven primarily by rewards such as trophies, rankings, scholarships, or by avoiding punishment such as critisim, parental disapporintme or social exclusion. Research consistently links this form of motivation to poorer long term outcomes. 

Appleton and Hill (2012) found a significant positive relationship between extrinsic motivation and socially prescribed perfectionism, where athletes feel pressure to meet extremely imposed standards for approval and recognition. This, in turn, was associated with increased burnout, measured through the use of the athlete burnout questionnaire (ABQ). athletes whose motivation was predominantly externally regulated reported higher levels of emotional and physical exhaustion. 

Similarly, Gilet Berjot and Governance (2009) studied 90 competitive athletes and found that while extrinsic motivation could enhance short-term performance, these benefits relied heavily on controlled regulation. Using Vallerand's hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (HMIEM), they concluded that performance improvements linked to extrinsic rewards were unstable and often declined once the external reinforcement was removed. 

Further evidence comes from Crouch et al (2022), who examined youth single sport, multi sport, and non-specialised athletes. Their findings showed that excessive emphasis on external rewards reduced athletes' sense of autonomy and lowered intrinsic enjoyment rather than compestivive outcomes, reported higher intrinsic motivation and demonstrated more sustainable engagement patterns.