Subjective well-being in competitive psychomotor games: A qualitative approach

Fostering subjective well-being (SWB) in participants in games is an interesting resource for physical education teachers. This study examines the structural traits (internal logic) of games and the subjective traits (external logic, individual and group) of players, oriented towards the task or the ego, that provoke states of SWB (related to affiliation, autonomy, mastery and meaning) in participants in individual competitive psychomotor games. Two hundred and eighteen first-year undergraduates pursuing a physical education and sports science degree took part in the study. The students received two sessions consisting of five individual games each per session. The participants completed questionnaires after each game, giving accounts of their emotional experiences. The content analysis performed by six experts related SWB to the structural aspects of each game: a fun game, a pleasant or unpleasant competition, and the way victory was achieved (score - close/crushing; frequency - first time/repeated; unexpected; making a comeback). SWB also referred to three subjective aspects related to oneself (strategy and effort), to the rival (skills and characteristics) and to the group (climate).