Locus of Control and Other Psycho-Social Parameters in Successful American Age-Group Swimmers

Psycho-social factors in successful age-group swimmers were explored in this study. The subjects were 50 female and 39 male participants in the 1975 Amateur Athletic Union National Junior Olympics who were asked to answer a set of questions from an open-ended questionnaire. The results support a picture of young persons who invest a great deal of their being in swimming. The subjects began to train around nine years of age and spend about four hours each day, six days each week, for about ten and one-half months of the year swimming. The results also offer evidence that powerful intrinsic factors motivate the swimmers, such as friendships, self-satisfaction, fun, and the joy of the water. The subjects placed great emphasis on the importance of psychological preparation and tended to believe that rewards they obtain are largely due to their own efforts rather than external factors. (Tables are included.) (RC)