STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION OF SELF-REGULATION IN SPORTS ACTIVITY: A THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

Relevance of the research. The relevance of this study arises from the need to deepen scientific understanding of the structural organization of self-regulation in sports activity, the psychological nature of which is determined by the interaction of athletes’ personality characteristics, the conditions of training and competition, the means of regulating their own activity, and its outcomes. The intensity of athletic workloads, variability in competitive situations, and increased demands on psychological readiness require a theoretical examination of personal regulatory capacities, since the effectiveness of athletic actions also depends on the functional coordination of athletes’ psychological characteristics.

Research on self-regulation in sports activity has specified its structural-functional, processual, and individual psychological characteristics; however, the interrelationships among motivational, cognitive, volitional, resource-related, and reflective constructs require further substantiation.

Purpose of the Study. The aim of the study is to provide a theoretical and methodological substantiation of the psychological nature and regularities of the structural organization of self-regulation in sports activity on the basis of the structural-integrative approach; to determine the distinctive content and functional interdependence of personal constructs, the nature of their interaction with the external and internal conditions of training and competitive activity, and the specific features of the organization of the regulatory process and its personal and activity-related outcomes through the development of an original conceptual model.

Research Methods. The study employed systems and structural-functional analysis, scientific abstraction, theoretical synthesis, generalization, and conceptual modelling. These methods were applied to clarify the psychological nature of personal regulation in sports activity, determine the distinctive content of five personal constructs, and establish the nature of their functional interdependence. At the same time, conceptual modelling provided the basis for developing an integrative model of personal regulation in sports activity, taking into account external and internal conditions, the regulatory process, and its outcomes.

Conclusions. The theoretical and methodological analysis substantiates the appropriateness of examining self-regulation in sports activity within the system of personal regulation, which integrates athletes’ individual capacities, external and internal conditions, the regulatory process, and the outcomes of its implementation.

On the basis of the structural-integrative approach, an integrative model of personal regulation in sports activity was developed, encompassing five interrelated constructs: motivational self-determination, cognitive awareness, volitional self-direction, personal resourcefulness, and reflective capacity. Their functional interaction determines the individual specificity of athletes’ regulatory activity, while its outcomes are manifested in personal, activity-related, and socio-psychological dimensions.