Keywords: values; value orientations; motives; sports motivation; boxing motivation.

Value orientations, the motivation of playing sports is a problem that is well enough reflected in psychological science and practice. However, in terms of the gender aspect of this problem, and even more so in martial arts, and particularly in boxing, there is very little research despite their undoubted relevance. In this regard, the purpose of our study was to identify differences in the value-semantic sphere and in the motivation of boxing in athletes, male and female.

The axiological sphere of personality is rather actively studied in various branches of psychological science, and above all in humanistic and existential psychology. Among Russian scientists whose attention is not indifferent to this problem is K.A. Abulkhanova-Slavskaya, A.G. Asmolov, B.S. Bratus, F.E. Vasilyuk, A.G. Zdravomyslov, D.A. Leontyev, E.E. Sapogov and others. Among foreign authors - L. Binswanger, M. Boos, R. May, M. Rokich, V. Frankl, E. Fromm, S. Schwartz, E. Spranger, etc. Most of the authors are unanimous in their opinion that the axiological sphere of the personality is a product of socialization.

According to D.A. Leontiev, the axiological sphere is one of the most important components of the personality structure, its central, "nuclear" formation, which determines the direction of human activity and determines its relationship with the world. Value orientations and life meanings are a dynamic, holistic, hierarchically organized structure in which the development and operation of value orientation systems and personal meanings are interconnected and mutually deterministic [11].

The axiological sphere of the personality includes two main components - value orientations and the system of personal meanings. Both components are inextricably linked with the motives of the individual, they organize his emotional and co-rational spheres, serve as the source of his behavior and set the parameters for the development and self-realization of his personality. It should be noted here that there are different opinions regarding the understanding of values ​​and value orientations in the literature. Some authors differentiate these concepts, for others they are synonyms.

We consider value orientations to be an important component of a person's worldview, expressing person's preferences and aspirations in relation to any given human values. Obviously, value orientations can be viewed as synonymous with a value system. As for the concept of "value", then, as D.A. Leontiev writes, in psychology, it can be used in several meanings: as a social ideal (developed by public consciousness and the general idea presented in it about the attributes of due in various spheres of public life); as the substantive embodiment of these ideals in the acts or works of specific people; as the motivational structures of the personality, which encourage it to substantively embody social value ideals in its activities [12].

Regarding the understanding of the personal meaning, here we should first of all point out that it expresses the subject's attitude to the phenomena of objective reality. In other words, the personal meaning is the perceived significance for the subject of certain objects and phenomena of reality, determined by their true place and role in the life activity of the subject, their life meaning for him. True life meaning can be reflected in consciousness in the form of personal meaning with varying degrees of completeness and adequacy. Personal sense is an individually-specific, personal-biased characteristic; the same phenomena may have different personal meaning for different people. The personal meaning of an object or phenomenon is determined by the connection between this object or phenomenon as with the subject's value orientations, as well as with its motives and needs [1, p. 263].

As we see, values, meanings, needs, motives are interconnected, mutually determined structures of personality. As well as the axiological and motivational sphere are integral components of the personality structure (E.P. Ilyin, V.I. Kovalev, etc.).

E.P. Ilyin considers the motivational sphere as a motivational formation of a person, by which is understood the entire set of needs, motives, goals, attitudes, interests, behavioral patterns that person has [8, p. 182]. The motivational sphere of the personality is characterized by breadth, flexibility and hierarchization.

The breadth of the motivational sphere is understood as the qualitative variety of motivational factors. The more motives a person has, the more diverse his needs, goals, interests, the more developed his motivational sphere. According to V.I. Kovalev, the motivational sphere of the personality is not so much the actual needs and motives, but the steady latent motivational formations (orientation of the personality, interests, motivational attitudes), which are classified as potential motives. Consequently, the motivational sphere of the personality itself is a latent formation, in which concrete motives, as temporary functional formations, appear only sporadically, constantly replacing each other.

The flexibility of the motivational sphere is characterized by a variety of means by which one and the same need can be satisfied. That is, it is actually about replacing one goal with another.

The hierarchical nature of the motivational sphere is a reflection in the mind of a person of the significance of a particular need, a motivational setting, other motivational dispositions, according to which some have a dominant role in the formation of a motive, others are subordinate, secondary; some are used more often, others less often [8, p. 183].

Motivation that encourages a person to engage in this or that kind of professional, creative or other detail, occupies a special place in the theory and practice of modern psychology. For our study, of particular interest is the problem of motives of sports activity, in the structure of which the motivational bloc, as E.P. Ilyin performs a number of functions. Firstly, it is the trigger mechanism of the activity; secondly, it maintains the necessary level of activity of the individual in the process of training and competitive activity; thirdly, it regulates the content of activity, the use of various means of activity to achieve the desired results [9].

As for the structure of motivation for playing sports, there is, though not fundamentally, but still somewhat different points of view. According to one of them, it makes sense to talk about three groups of motifs. The first group includes motives that encourage sports to do in general, motives that reflect a fundamental orientation to this sport, and motives for sports activities during training and competitions. The second group consists of motives reflecting the athlete's need for acquiring special skills, the need for a favorable socio-psychological microclimate, the need for no pain and negative psychogenic influences of competition conditions. The third group includes motives reflecting the material needs of an athlete, and the need for information about his upcoming rivals [2].

S.V. Ilyinsky distinguishes between immediate and mediated motives. Immediate motives include: the need for a sense of satisfaction from the manifestation of muscle activity; the need for aesthetic enjoyment of its own beauty, strength, endurance, speed, flexibility, dexterity; the desire to express themselves in difficult situations; the desire to achieve record results, prove their sports skills and achieve victory; the need for self-expression, self-affirmation, the desire for public recognition, fame. The mediated motives are: the desire to become strong, healthy; the desire through sports activities to prepare themselves for practical life; call of Duty; the need for sports through awareness of the social importance of sports activities. Sometimes, as S.V. Ilyinsky, the choice of sports activities as a way to satisfy one and then a whole complex of needs, occurs spontaneously, without a clear understanding of the process [10]. Gd Humpbacks in the complex of motivation of athletes includes the need for activity, activity; need for movement; the need for the realization of reflexes of purpose and freedom; the need for rivalry, competition; the need for self-affirmation; the need to be in a group, to communicate; the need for new experiences, etc. [3].

E.P. Ilyin underlines particular types of motivation associated with practicing various sports: ensuring cyclicity, motion control, situational confrontation.

Ensuring cyclical sports movements in walking, swimming, running, rowing, cycling and in competitive exercises of other types, including locomotor acts (run - in acrobatics, jumps - in athletics, support jumps - in gymnastics, etc.) involves four groups of motives: the realization of natural coordination of movements, optimization of energy consumption, synergism, sprint styer choice. Each of these groups of motives is formed in the course of training and competition, reaching high development with the improvement of sportsmanship.

Movement control implies other accents of motivation: ensuring the highest complexity of coordination; optimization of movement in parameters such as speed, strength, accuracy; implementation of the attempt and all-round qualities. This group includes the majority of technical types of competitions in which athletes, together with crews, act as helmsmen (pilots, skippers), and types associated with precision control of weapons and parachutes.

Situational confrontation as a manifestation of the specificity of motives is associated with the use of the arsenal of techniques and counter-methods, providing variable intensity, mastering strategies and tactics, as well as prediction, in which the leading place belongs to an instant assessment of the likelihood of the next action of the opponent and teammates. This group of motives is typical for martial arts and game sports [8].

A number of authors note that the preference and structuring of athletes' motives are influenced by the gender factor. So, according to A.V. Shaboltas, the motives for playing sports among young men are the components of responsibility - the socio-moral and civil-patriotic, among girls - the emotional components: pleasure, the social-emotional component [16]. Approximately the same point of view adheres to E.P. Ilyin, citing data according to which social-emotional motives (the desire to train and compete because of their high emotionality, informality of communication, social and emotional relaxation) and emotional pleasure (motive, reflecting the joy of movement and physical efforts) are more significant for girls), for young men - social and moral (striving for the success of their team, for the sake of which it is necessary to train, to have good contact with partners and coach) and social self-assertion (striving to prove oneself, Rage that succeed are considered and experienced from a position of personal prestige as an opportunity to earn the respect of friends and spectators). The motives of physical development and preparation for professional activity turned out to be insignificant for young men and girls. [8]

In boxing, as well as in the other sports, there is not one motive, but a complex of interacting motives. According to V.V. Nakhodkina, the wider the complex of motives, the more significant and meaningful motivation becomes. But the strongest motivation of boxers is when it comes from the athlete himself, due to the nature of the task and social rewards. At the same time, personal goals and motives of a boxer do not always coincide with group tasks (for example, he is preparing to perform in personal competitions, where he can get the title of master of sports, but for the interests of the sports society during these terms he has to participate in a match meeting with a team of another community). According to the researcher, it is important that the motives correspond to the class of the athlete, his capabilities and real activity [13].

Regarding the motivation of male and female boxer athletes, an analysis of the literature shows that this problem, on the one hand, attracts more and more researchers, but on the other hand, the data obtained by different authors differs considerably. Some believe that boys and girls, when choosing boxing, are guided by similar motives: acquiring self-defense skills, superiority over others, physical and mental self-improvement, achieving high athletic performance, external comforts (proximity to home or school) [7; 14; 15]. Other authors point to pronounced differences in the motivational sphere of men and women involved in boxing [4; 5; 6; 17].

In the course of empirical research, we also addressed this problem, setting a goal to identify differences in the axiological sphere and the motivation of boxing in men and women. As a hypothesis, we assumed that such differences exist.

The sample of subjects consisted of 40 pupils of the sports section of boxing aged 18 to 25 years, including 20 men and 20 women. To solve the problems of empirical research, the following methods were applied: "Value Orientations" by M. Rokich; "Meaningful orientations" D.A. Leontyev; "The study of the motives of sports" V.I. Tropnikova; "The motives of sports" A.V. Shaboltas. Mathematical processing was carried out using the Mann-Whitney U-test.

After examining the value preferences of the subjects according to the method of M. Rokich, then comparing the ranks of terminal values ​​in the two groups of male and female boxers according to the Mann-Whitney U-test, we obtained the data reflected in Table 1.

Table 1.

Comparing the ranks of terminal values in the groups of male and female boxers

** Significance of differences when p ≤ 0.01

* Significance of differences at p ≤ 0.05

As you can see, there are both similarities and differences. The first in importance in both groups is the value of "health". Other priority terminal values ​​for men were distributed as follows: in second place - "having good and true friends", in the third - "having active life", then "happy family life" and "productive life". For women, "development" takes second place, followed by "having active life", "productive life," and "life wisdom." The group of rejected terminal values ​​in men includes "the beauty of nature and art", "entertainment", "interesting work", "happiness of others" and "self-confidence", while in women rejected by terminal values ​​turned out to be "happiness of others", "having good and true friends","love","creativity" and "public recognition". Thus, male boxers include leading individual values ​​as well as values ​​of interpersonal relations (good and true friends, happy family life), while female boxers have a general tendency to push out values ​​of interpersonal relations to the periphery of axiological sphere.

According to the data presented in Table 1, compared with women, men have significantly higher ranks of such terminal values ​​as "happy family life", "having good and true friends" (for all with p ≤ 0.01), "public recognition" and "love" (for all with p ≤ 0.05). At the same time, in comparison with men, women have significantly higher indicators of the ranks of the following terminal values: "life wisdom", "interesting work" (for all with p ≤ 0.01), "beauty of nature and art", "entertainment" (for all with p ≤ 0.05). This indicates their higher subjective significance and a higher position in the general hierarchy of values ​​among female boxers compared to male boxers.

Note that all subjects are young people. This is the stage of psychosocial development, the main task of which, according to E. Erickson, is the fundamental choice between establishing friendship and family ties and isolationism [18]. The shift of value orientations towards individualistic values, revealed in the subjects, is not consistent with the main task of their psychosocial development. It can be assumed that such a feature of the value sphere of the examined boxers is related to the peculiarities of their sports specialization: boxing is an individual martial art, in which the result depends only on the abilities, physical fitness and psychological state of the athlete.

A paradoxical picture was discovered: the absolute dominance of individualistic values ​​among female boxers at an age when the majority of women are focused on family creation and childbirth, and the orientation of male boxers on the values ​​of family and friendship. Perhaps this is explained by the fact that boxing is a masculine sport, in which only those athletes (or sportswomen) achieve success, who have the necessary fighting qualities and emphasized the "male" motivation model. In fact, the choice of a woman of this sport is a kind of declaration that she is able to defend herself and does not need defenders. In men, the occupation of this typically "male" sport does not cause such a deformation of the motivational sphere, therefore their value orientations correspond to the tasks of psychosocial development (according to E. Erickson).

As for the comparison of instrumental values ​​in the studied groups, the results obtained are shown in Table 2.

Table 2

Comparison of the ranks of instrumental values in groups of male and female boxers

** Significance of differences when p ≤ 0.01

* Significance of differences at p ≤ 0.05

As it can be seen from Table 2, in comparison with women, men have significantly higher ranks of such instrumental values ​​as "courage in defending one's opinion", "honesty" (for all with p ≤ 0.01), "responsibility" and "education" (for all with p ≤ 0.05). At the same time, in comparison with men, women have significantly higher indicators of the ranks of such instrumental values ​​as "efficiency in affairs", "tolerance" and "cheerfulness" (for all with p ≤ 0.01).

Thus, the results of the study of value orientations of male and female boxers show that male boxers have values-goals as values ​​of individual achievements, as well as values ​​of interpersonal relations, while choosing tools for achieving these goals, men are guided by values ​​of professional self-realization, ethics and interpersonal communication.

In female boxers, only the values ​​of individual accomplishments belong to the values ​​of goals, while the values ​​of interpersonal relations are forced out to the periphery of the motivational and value sphere. Choosing the means to achieve these goals, women focus mainly on the values ​​of professional self-realization.

In male boxers, compared with female boxers, the subjective significance of such terminal values ​​as "interesting work" (for all p ≤ 0.01), "beauty of nature and art", "entertainment" (for all with p ≤ 0.05), and such instrumental values ​​as "efficiency in affairs", "tolerance" and "cheerfulness" (for all with p ≤ 0.01).

In female boxers, in comparison with male boxers, the subjective importance of such terminal values ​​as "having good and true friends", "happy family life", "life wisdom" (for all p ≤ 0.01), and "public recognition" is reduced and "love" (for all with p ≤ 0.05), and such instrumental values ​​as "courage in defending one's opinion", "honesty" (for all with p ≤ 0.01), "responsibility" and "education" (for all with p ≤ 0.05).

The results of the study of meaningful life orientations according to the method of D. Leontiev in the subjects of male and female are shown in Table 3.

Table 3.

Comparison of life-sense orientations in groups of male and female boxers

** Significance of differences when p ≤ 0.01

* Significance of differences at p ≤ 0.05

As you can see, the indicators of the "Goals in Life" scale are significantly higher for female boxers than for male boxers (p ≤ 0.01). It suggests that, in comparison with men, women are more clearly aware of their vocation, their own life goals and intentions. Also in comparison with male boxers, female boxers have significantly higher rates of the "Process of Life" scale (p ≤ 0.05), which indicates a higher degree of women's satisfaction with their lives in the present. Moreover, in comparison with male boxers, female boxers have significantly higher indicators of the "Locus of Control - Me" scale (p ≤ 0.05), which is characterized by a high level of faith in oneself and in one's own strength, the desire to build one's life in accordance with own ideas about its meaning. In our opinion, this explains the priority of individual values, revealed in female boxers according to the method of M. Rokich.

The study of the motives that prompted the subjects to engage in boxing and supporting the occupation of this sport, as already noted, was carried out using the questionnaire V.I. Tropnikova. For individual indicators obtained from the subjects, the mean values ​​and standard deviations of the indicators of the significance of the motives were calculated. The data obtained were subjected to comparative analysis using the Mann-Whitney U-test. The results of the comparative analysis are presented in Table 4.

Table 4.

Comparison of indicators of the motives of boxing in groups of male and female boxers

** Significance of differences when p ≤ 0.01

* Significance of differences at p ≤ 0.05

As the data of table 4 shows, in comparison with the group of female boxers, in the group of male boxers indicators of the significance of communication motives and the acquisition of useful skills and knowledge were significantly higher (for all with p ≤ 0.01). In comparison with the group of male boxers, the group of female boxers reliably higher indicators of the significance of the motive for obtaining material benefits through sports, the motive for improving health, and the group motive (for all with p ≤ 0.05).

As noted above, the study of the dominant goals (personal meanings) of sports in boxers was carried out using the questionnaire A.V. Shaboltas. It has been found that in the group of male boxers the dominant goal (personal meaning) of boxing is the motive of physical self-affirmation. Further (according to the degree of reduction of subjective significance for the subjects) are the following motives: achieving success in sports; emotional pleasure; civil-patriotic; social and emotional. The least significant were the sports-cognitive motives: the motive of social self-affirmation and the rational-volitional (recreational) motive.

In the group of female boxers, the dominant goal (personal sense) of boxing is the motive for achieving success in sports. Further (according to the degree of reduction of subjective significance for the subjects) are the following motives: civil-patriotic; social and emotional; sports and educational; emotional pleasure. The least significant motives for boxing for women were: the motive of preparing for professional activities; the motive of social self-affirmation and rational-volitional motive.

The results of a comparative analysis of the personal meanings of boxing for men and women are presented in Table 5.

Table 5

The results of the comparison of the indicators of personal meanings of boxing in groups of male and female boxers

** Significance of differences when p ≤ 0.01

* Significance of differences at p ≤ 0.05

The data shows that in the group of male boxers compared with the group of female boxers, the significance of physical self-assertion was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.01). At the same time, in the group of female boxers, the indicators of the importance of the sports-educational motive (p ≤ 0.01), social-emotional, training motivation for professional activities and civil-patriotic motive were significantly higher (for all with p ≤ 0.05).

Summing up, it should be noted first of all that the hypothesis put forward by us has been confirmed. The results of the empirical study showed that the axiological sphere and the motivation of boxing in men and women have certain differences. Thus, male boxers are significantly higher than female boxers value happy family life, the presence of good and faithful friends, public recognition and love, honesty, responsibility, education and courage in defending their opinions. For male boxers the motives of communication and the motives for the acquisition of useful knowledge and skills, as well as the motive of physical self-affirmation are more important.

Female boxers are significantly higher than male boxers in appreciation the beauty of nature and art, interesting work, wisdom in life, entertainment, work efficiency, tolerance and cheerfulness. In female boxers, compared to male boxers, the meaningfulness of life goals, the meaningfulness of the life process and belief in their abilities to build their lives in accordance with their own ideas about its meaning are significantly higher. For women such motives for practicing boxing as obtaining material wealth, improving health and health, a motive of collectivism, as well as a sports and educational motive, a social-emotional motive, a motive for preparing for professional activities and civil-patriotic the motive are more important.

2. Gogunov E.N. Psixologiya fizicheskogo vospitaniya i sporta: uchebnoe posobie. – M., 2010.

3. Gorbunov G.D. Motivaciya sportsmena v trenirovochnom processe: uchebnoe posobie. – M., 2007.

4. Damadaeva A.S. Genderny`e aspekty` sportivnoj motivacii // Ucheny`e zapiski universiteta imeni P.F. Lesgafta. – 2011. Vy`p. 12. – S. 58-63.

5. Deniskin V.V. Taktiko-texnicheskaya podgotovka kvalificirovanny`x bokserov na predsorevnovatel`nom e`tape: dis. … kand. ped. nauk. – Krasnoyarsk, 2002.

6. Dzhandarov D.Z. Sopryazhennoe razvitie fizicheskix i psixicheskix kachestv yuny`x bokserov 13-14 i 15-16 let: dis. ... kand. ped. nauk. – Maxachkala, 2003.

7. Dzheroyan G.O. Moral`naya i special`naya psixicheskaya podgotovka bokserov yunoshej i yuniorov // Boks, kikboksing, rukopashny`j boj (podgotovka v kontaktny`x vidax edinoborstv). – M., 1999. – S. 347-367.

8. Il`in E. P. Motivaciya i motivy`. – SPb., 2011.

9. Il`in E.P. Psixologiya sporta. – SPb., 2011.

10. Il`inskij S.V. Osobennosti motivacii sportsmenov v razlichny`x vidax sporta // Vestnik Samarskoj gumanitarnoj akademii. Seriya: Psixologiya. – 2013. – № 1. – S. 75-84.

11. Leont`ev D.A. Psixologiya smy`sla: priroda struktura i dinamika smy`slovoj real`nosti. – M., 2007.

12. Leont`ev D.A. Cennostny`e predstavleniya v individual`nom i gruppovom soznanii: vidy`, determinanty` i izmeneniya vo vremeni // Psixologicheskoe obozrenie. – 1998. – № 1. – S. 13-25.

13. Naxodkin V.V. Dinamika motivacii yuny`x bokserov v predstartovom psixicheskom sostoyanii // Fizicheskaya kul`tura i detsko-yunosheskij sport v sovremenny`x usloviyax: ideya, duxovnost`, vospitanie: materialy` II Mezhdunar. nauchno-prakticheskoj konf. – Yakutsk, 2008. – S. 131-134.

14. Romanenko M.I. Boks. – Kiev: Vishha shkola, 2008

15. Sin`kov V.A. Boks: pervy`e shagi. – Rostov-na-Donu, 2004.

16. Shaboltas A.V. Motivy` zanyatiya sportom vy`sshix dostizhenij v yunosheskom vozraste: dis. ... kand. psixol. nauk. – SPb., 1998.

17. Shherbakov I.I. Vliyanie social`no-demograficheskogo statusa trudyashhixsya na motivaciyu zanyatij fizicheskoj kul`turoj i sportom // Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoj kul`tury`. – 1996. – № 4. – S. 34-36.

18. E`rikson E`. Identichnost`: yunost` i krizis. – SPb., 2014.