Summary


RELATIONSHIPS OF COMMITMENT, PSYCHOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE, PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY: AN EXAMPLE OF TAEKWONDO ATHLETES

This study aims to examine the relationships between sports commitment, psychological performance, and psychological flexibility in a sample of taekwondo athletes. Another aim of the research is to analyze whether taekwondo athletes' descriptive characteristics differ in sports commitment, psychological performance, and psychological flexibility. The study also aimed to reveal the variables that predict psychological performance. 448 (223 male, 225 female) taekwondo athletes aged 18-32 participated in the study. Participants answered Personal Information Form, Sports Engagement Scale, Psychological Flexibility Scale, and Psychological Performance Inventory. Findings showed that research variables differed significantly in sports experience, nationality status, and belt colors. The applied Pearson correlation analysis determined that there were positive, statistically significant relationships between all sub-dimensions of psychological performance, except for the negative energy sub-dimension, and the general and all sub-dimensions of sports commitment and psychological flexibility. Hierarchical regression analysis was applied to determine the variables predicting psychological performance. Nationality status, added to the model in the first step, was a positive predictor of self-confidence, attention control, visualization and imagery control, motivation, positive energy, and attitude control. In contrast, negative energy was a negative predictor. According to the applied hierarchical regression analysis, vigor, being in the moment, and dissociation are the positive determinants of self-confidence, while values and value-based behavior, being in the moment, acceptance, and dissociation, are the positive determinants of attention control. Findings showed that vigor, dedication, values and value-based behavior, and being in the moment positively predicted visualization and imagery control, while vigor, dedication, values and value-based behavior, being in the moment, and contextual self were positive predictors of motivation. While nationality, vigor, and being in the moment were found to be positive determinants of positive energy, being in the moment and dissociation came to the fore as positive predictors of attitude control. In addition, vigor, being in the moment, and contextual self were negative predictors of negative energy.



Keywords

Sports engagement, Psychological performance, Psychological flexibility, Taekwondo



References