Winning from Within: Mindfulness, Locus of Control and Perception in Athletes

The purpose of the present study is to explore the relationship between mindfulness, perception, and locus of control in athletes. In the present study, 126 athletes of age group ranging from 18-25 years are selected as participants by applying correlational research design. Mindfulness is assessed by State Mindfulness Scale for Physical Activity-2 (SMS-PA2), Locus of Control is assessed by Rotter’s Locus of Control Scale Hindi adaptation, and Perception is assessed by Sports Performance Perception Scale (SPPS). Results of the study reveal that there is no significant difference between males and females regarding mindfulness, locus of control, and perception at .05 levels of significance. It is found that there is a significant positive relationship between mindfulness and perception and a significant negative relationship between locus of control and perception, but no significant relationship is found between mindfulness and locus of control. It is found that there is a stronger relational pattern between mindfulness and perception as well as in locus of control and perception among female athletes. Regression analysis reveal that mindfulness is a significant predictor of perception in the total sample as well as in males and females. This prediction is stronger in female athletes than male athletes. However, mindfulness is not a significant predictor of locus of control. It reveals that perception is a significant predictor of locus of control, and the different components of perception are the predictors in males and females. Thus, the study results support the alternative hypothesis and emphasize the importance of mindfulness in the development of perception and perception in the development of locus of control in athletes.