Burnout Overtrapment Theory

Burnout and overtraining are major issues and they are more prevalent than ever before, especially with young people/children. The definition of overtraining is “a short cycle of training…during which athletes expose themselves to excessive training loads that are near or at maximum capacity” (Weinberg & Gould, 2015). Overtraining includes both burnout and staleness. Burnout occurs when an athlete suffers from psychological and physiological exhaustion leading them to develop “feelings of low personal accomplishment, low self-esteem, failure, and depression” as well as “depersonalization and devaluation” (Weinberg & Gould, 2015). Staleness occurs when an athlete suffers from physiological exhaustion and thus cannot perform to the utmost of

This concept relates to entrapment theory as, entrapment theory describes the reasons behind burnout, as does Meier’s article. People participate in sports for “three reasons: because they want to participate, because they believe they have to participate, or both” (Weinberg & Gould, 2015), entrapment occurs most often when the second reason (“because they believe they have to participate”) is the prominent cause of a person’s participation. The athlete loses their motivation to continue to participate in their sport, and thus develops a feeling of ‘entrapment’ (Weinberg & Gould, 2015). This situation is often brought upon because of social pressure and/or a “perceived lack of control over the situation” (Weinberg & Gould, 2015), inhibiting the athlete from being able to take a break from or give up the sport. Because of this an athlete’s peers, parents, coaches have a large role to play when it comes to supporting an athlete. They can reduce the likelihood that they will experience ‘entrapment’ and if they do help them in the process of stopping the activity which is causing it. Overall, Meier’s statement relates strongly to entrapment theory as it describes how thin line that exists between commitment, over-commitment, and self-coercion really is. An

Meier’s article, Icing Down Burnout, reveals how the entrapment theory affects athletes through indicating the difference between “commitment, over commitment and self-coercion” (Meier). Achor shows that a positive mindset leads to the opposite of burnout (engagement) as it allows a person to do what they need to, to maintain their health. Finally, burnout is not a natural human experience as the role of nurture overpowers a person’s nature when they cannot deal with the physical and/or psychological stress placed upon them due to their sport/activity, causing it to become a chronic issue and leading to