ADOLESCENT GOAL PROFILES, PERCEPTIONS OF THE PARENT-INITIATED MOTIVATIONAL CLIMATE, AND COMPETITIVE TRAIT ANXIETY

The purpose of this study was to examine the combined effects of task- and ego-orientation on adolescents' perceptions of the parent-initiate d motivational climate and competitive trait anxiety. Participants wer e 279 male and female adolescents (mean age = 14.41 years) who compete d on organized sport teams. Based on a mean split on the two TEOSQ sub scales, four goal orientation profile groups were created: high-task/h igh-ego, high-task/low-ego, high-ego/low-task, and low-task/low-ego. M ANOVA results indicated that the high-task/low-ego group perceived tha t both their mother and father endorsed a learning and enjoyment motiv ational climate. In contrast, the high-ego/low-task group thought thei r mother and father valued a climate where success was coupled with lo w effort. In this group, fathers were perceived to cause worry about m aking mistakes. This group experienced the highest levels of competiti ve trait anxiety. For the high-task/high-ego group it was found that f athers emphasized a climate where success was linked to low levels of exerted effort and mothers were perceived to cause worry about making mistakes. However. the high-task/high-ego group also believed that bot h parents still valued learning and enjoyment in the development of ph ysical skills. Lastly, individuals in the low-task/low-ego group perce ived mothers to make them afraid of making mistakes in the learning of skills.