Features of self-esteem and level of ambition in athletes of different qualifications

Abstract

Abstract: Problem Statement. The problem of finding an athlete's psychological resource remains relevant. The versatile use of the cognitive resources of the athlete's psyche effectively enhances the ability of athletes to realize their athletic potential at competitions. Many authors consider self-esteem as a factor in increasing an athlete's cognitive resource. The research purpose was to identify the peculiarities of self-esteem in athletes of different qualifications as one of the factors of improving the efficiency of sports activities. Materials and Methods: Participants: The self-esteem of 149 young athletes was studied among them 31 athletes were engaged in rhythmic gymnastics, artistic gymnastics, acrobatics; 43 athletes played sports games (football, volleyball, rugby, hockey); 34 athletes were freestyle wrestling, boxing, judo. To compare the results, the athletes were divided into two groups: Group 1 – 88 elite athletes; Group 2 – 61 non-elite athletes. Results: Elite athletes have a high level of self-esteem and high levels of ambitions, demonstrate significantly higher self-esteem than non-elite athletes on the scales of "Mind and ability", "Authority", "Confidence" (p<0.001). High self-esteem can be considered optimal for athletes, which reflects the positive result of self-affirmation in important sports activities. The personality of the athlete is formed as a subject of sports activity by the requirements, which are necessary for success and self-affirmation in the sports activity. We identified important characteristics for self assessment and mutual evaluation of elite volleyball players according to the significance rating: performance of technical actions, game thinking, physical preparedness, psychophysiological characteristics, tactical actions, personality features. The obtained results give grounds to assert the expediency of applying self-esteem correction by increasing it in the practice of training elite athletes, which will improve their sportsmanship.