Self-Efficacy and Injury Recovery in Sport

By Jessica Maes

Aaron Rodgers experienced a season-ending injury just four snaps into the New York Jets season opener versus the Buffalo Bills last week on Monday Night Football. Or did he? While Rodgers endured a full tear of his left Achilles tendon, a significant injury that typically requires 9-12 months of rehabilitation, he’s committed to returning to the field this season.

Following a unique surgical procedure by renowned surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles just days after the injury, Rodgers said, “I definitely have some odds stacked against me based on age, but I like it. Stack all the odds up against me and see what happens. My entire focus and dedication is about acquiring the most information and adding to what I’ve already put together as a pretty damn good rehab plan that’s going to, I think, shock some people.” While time will tell if Rodgers can physically return to the field this season, an analysis of self-efficacy and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation may suggest that it could happen.

Bandura’s Theory of Self-Efficacy

The American Psychological Association defines self-efficacy as: “…an individual’s belief in his or her capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments (Bandura, 1977, 1986, 1997). Self-efficacy reflects confidence in the ability to exert control over one’s own motivation, behavior, and social environment.” It’s important to note that Bandura’s Theory of Self-Efficacy is a form of situation-specific self-confidence (p. 49), explaining why Rogers’ goal of returning to the field this season has potential.

Motivation

Throughout his career, Rodgers has set a high achievement bar for himself, and rarely has he missed his mark. Time and again, Rodgers has demonstrated intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, which will serve him well as he sets out on his ambitious rehabilitation schedule.

Intrinsic motivation is motivation that comes from within (p. 66). Past examples of this for Rodgers include committing to “do the work” that’s physically and mentally required to continue playing at an elite level despite being nearly 40 years old, as well as coming back from 13 documented injuries that hindered his ability to play football for periods between 2010 and 2023.

Extrinsic motivation is motivation that comes from outside sources (p. 67). While Rodgers seemingly has “done it all” as a 4-time league MVP, Super Bowl Champion, future Hall of Fame inductee, and one of the highest-paid players in the NFL, there is no denying that he is motivated by social approval and specifically proving naysayers wrong. This was well documented when he did not receive any Division 1 scholarship offers for football, fell to the 24th pick overall in the 2005 NFL Draft, and requested a trade from the Green Bay Packers organization earlier this year.

A Study of Self-Efficacy and Post Acute Injury Recovery

A 2013 integrative literature review examined the relationship between self-efficacy and patient recovery post-acute injury. 18 studies were reviewed, and, in summary, “Results did suggest that self-efficacy positively influenced various health outcomes, including pain-related disability, compliance with discharge instructions, locomotion recovery and QOL (quality of life)” (p. 724).

Conclusion

It’s too soon to tell if Aaron Rodgers will physically be able to return to the game field this season. However, Dr. ElAttrache performed the same surgery on another NFL player, and he returned to the field in just 5.5 months, giving precedent for what Rodgers is trying to achieve. It’s a fair assumption that the only way this plan will come to fruition will be with a healthy dose of self-efficacy in addition to top-quality physical care he’s receiving and everything Rodgers has said and done since his injury suggests he is up to the task. May the odds be ever in his favor.

References

Connolly, F. R., Aitken, L. M., & Tower, M. (2013, June 27). An integrative review of self-efficacy and patient recovery post acute injury. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 714-728. https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.uwgb.edu/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/jan.12237

Cox, R. H. (2012). Sport Psychology Concepts and Applications (7th ed., pp. 49-67). McGraw-Hill.

Sanchez, R. (2023, September 17). Jets’ Aaron Rodgers ready to ‘shock some people’ after receiving innovative surgery on torn Achilles. Y! Sports. Retrieved September 21, 2023, from https://sports.yahoo.com/jets-aaron-rodgers-ready-shock-043158664.html

Jessica is a first-year master’s student in the Sport, Exercise, & Performance Psychology program at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Wisconsin – Parkside and is currently a Writing Tutor at The Learning Center at UWGB. She is also certified as a grant writer from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and from Learn Grant Writing. Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn.