The sensation of risk and motivational tendencies in sports: An empirical study

Abstract

In this study, using athletes as subjects we analysed the empirical connections between sensation seeking, motivational orientation—and its subsequent subjective emotional states—, reactivity to social rules, and the choice of various sports implying progressive levels of risk. The resulting data are discussed with respect to the theoretical background defined by Zuckerman's sensation seeking model and Apter's reversal theory.