Moldovan, I. (2011). The fire that burns from within: Tales of legendary Swedish table tennis players

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the dynamics of motivational forces in career stages in legendary table tennis players. Participants invited for this study were two highly recognized Swedish table tennis players who achieved major titles during their competitive career. The theoretical frameworks included the self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 1985, 2000), achievement goal theory (AGT; Nicholls, 1989), and the developmental model of transition faced by athletes (Wylleman & Lavallee, 2004). The study was based on in-depth narrative interviews on the field where the researcher stimulated participants to tell their stories in retrospect based on their perceptions of motivational drives across different stages. Results revealed that participants were (a) strongly driven by multiple personal goals (e.g., self-determined, winning major titles), (b) had high perception of ability (e.g., high task and high ego), (c) table tennis was central to their lives, and (d) they were surrounded by facilitative environment. Results are discussed in relation to theoretical frameworks and previous research.