The Relationship between Locus of Control and Motivation Based on Alderfer motivation theory among Iranian Premier League Football Players

The aim of this study was to investigate- the relationship between Premier League players' locus of control and motivation using the Alderfer motivational model (Existence, Relatedness, Growth). The sample included 293 primer league players. The scale of locus of control and Alderfer's needs questionnaire were used to assess the locus of control and motivational factors, respectively. Data was analyzed by Pearson correlation test, simple and multiple linear regression tests in SPSS 19. According to the results, there was a significant positive correlation between internal locus of control and dependency needs (r=0.561; P<0.0001), and growth needs (r=0.661; P<0.0001), and also external locus of control with dependency needs (r=0.551; P<0.0001), and growth needs (r=0.596; P<0.0001). Regression models showed that locus of control has a significant ability to predict players' motivation (Beta= 0.397). The results suggested a significant effect of both internal and external locus of control on dependency and growth needs. Thus, self-consciousness related to this personality trait is very important for football players.