People have three basic psychological needs - autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
When these needs are obtained, a person's motivation and mental health are maximized (Deci & Ryan, 1985) and the athlete is less likely to burnout. This makes sense because if people are enjoying what they are doing then they are more likely to continue to doing the activity even when times get difficult. Athletes who have these three needs satisfied will experience lower levels of burnout compared to athletes who don't have all three satisfied.
When these needs are obtained, a person's motivation and mental health are maximized (Deci & Ryan, 1985) and the athlete is less likely to burnout. This makes sense because if people are enjoying what they are doing then they are more likely to continue to doing the activity even when times get difficult. Athletes who have these three needs satisfied will experience lower levels of burnout compared to athletes who don't have all three satisfied.