“Are Your Decisions Truly Your Own, Or Are They Shaped By Someone Else’s Vision?” (Part1)

 Kia Ora koutou,

This is Hiro.

Today’s topic is: “Are your decisions truly your own, or are they shaped by someone else’s vision?”

We all engage with athletics and running in different ways. For many, it begins as a fun hobby, a way to enjoy exercise, and it's naturally integrated into daily life. But as we continue running by joining a club, training with teammates, or competing in races, our involvement is getting deeper, larger or changing.

When athletes begin performing at high levels, they may gain opportunities to join more competitive teams or training environments. As we become part of these communities and receive more external evaluation, our decision-making will be separated into two types. One is led to positive behaviour by autonomy, and one is influenced to push us into emotional hardship by outside stimuli.

In my own university athletics experience, I struggled mentally, yet I convinced myself that everything I was doing was the “right” decision. So why do we begin to suffer in something we originally loved? And how can we break free from that pressure?

 

Why do you run? The reason is different each runner.

Why Do I Run?

First, we can ask ourselves: “Why am I doing this sport?”
The answers might be “Because it's fun,” “I want to stay active,” “I love the running community,” “I want to win races,” or “I want to be healthier.”

In my case, I was always the fastest kid at school, and I liked that I could improve individually, unlike in team sports. I found motivation in knowing that my training would lead to faster times. At that time, I wasn’t part of any club. All my training and motivation came from within.

For example, when I went for a run, it wasn’t based on a schedule. I’d run simply because I wanted to run. If I’d run a timed 1000m in PE class, I might feel motivated to go to the school oval that night and time myself again.

 

 

Belonging to a Team

In Japan, middle, high school, and university athletes typically join school-based track teams. The structure is similar to the US system, with divisions and competitive leagues. Talented runners often get scouted into strong teams, which are university clubs, and female athletes will be offered to join corporate teams as paid contracts to continue competing.

Once you join such teams, your “decisions” begin to change. New members gradually learn team norms through daily experience. For example,

• Doing warm-up individually before group practice earns praise.
• Drinking Coke implies a lack of motivation. = Not serious enough.
• Stretching before bed means you’re committed.
• Oversleeping leads to punishment.

These norms are rarely written but are learned by living in the environment. Over time, they shape our choices and behaviours.

Let’s compare two different motivations behind the same actions:

Autonomous decisions

• Stretching because it makes your legs feel lighter
• Avoid drinking Coke because you heard it affects performance

Norm-driven decisions

• Stretching because otherwise you'll be seen as unmotivated
• Avoid drinking Coke to avoid getting scolded by the coach

While the actions are the same, the underlying motivations differ. When our behaviours are shaped by team norms rather than internal motivation. There is a risk of losing autonomy and clarity about our goals. Over time, this mental strain can even lead to psychological disorders.

 

Finding a goal and keep focusing

 

Why is it leading to Loss of Autonomy and psychological disorders?

In strict, norm-heavy environments, self-determined decision-making fades and is replaced by external control.

When I was in high school, my coach had a “train even when injured” philosophy. We believed continuing to train through pain was the right thing to do. Even with stress fractures, we did 30km runs and intervals. Because we believed the norm dictated that it was correct. The coach’s anger and team members' praise for “perseverance” made it impossible to behave otherwise.

In university, our coach strictly monitored body weight. He’d publicly shame athletes for not looking lean enough. Sometimes he asked unfit athletes to lift their shirts in front of teammates and “Where is your six pack?”. Weekly bodyweight and body fat data were posted on the dorm wall. Over time, food choices and shopping habits became monitored by roommates and teammates in the same room or flat implicitly, and our behaviour was shaped by the norms and one of the ideal models that we believed in there.

These behaviours weren’t coming from autonomy. They were controlled externally. The type of coaches believe that the stigmatising message will enhance the athletes' motivation to train hard and strictly focus on their performance. Many coaches and teams consciously or unconsciously use this external control in the name of “team management.” Often, it stems from a desire to control the group.

 

 

 Adapting to the Environment and Losing Purpose

In such environments, athletes gradually adjust their behaviour to match team norms—even if those norms conflict with the reason they started the sport.

Why?

Because we all live in communities and naturally develop a sense of belonging. When we act in line with the group, we’re praised. It is easy to communicate with others. So, we unconsciously start imitating group norms, and then we can become a member of the group. Human naturally has the system. However, when we feel strong stress and pressure from the new environment, we think “I have to adapt to the environment.”.  There is over-imitation which the purpose is to imitate the norms strictly without autonomy.  The behaviour is losing the initial purpose for which we are joining this team, community, or social.

In performance-driven teams, goals like “improve performance” and “win races” become central. Coaches often give clear instructions about what’s necessary and what’s not. Athletes’ behaviours are judged by the coach's definition of “right” and “wrong.”

Athlete behaviours are controlled by external factors

• “Avoid drinking coke, because roommates check my intake”
• “I have to go for training twice or more every day. Otherwise, I will be fat.”
• “Just finding and doing what makes the coach happy,”

These thoughts may be heavily influenced by team norms and the coach’s expectations.

This leads to:

• Fear of evaluation from teammates
• Fear of rest days, weight gain or unhealthy eating
• Fear of mistakes or “wrong answers” in the coach’s eyes

Eventually, the desire to earn praise and belong to the team drives all behaviour. The belief that “this narrow path is the only way” becomes so strong that athletes refuse to change, even when suffering from extreme stress.

The thought that “I must do it this way, here and now” directly suppresses self-determination. Unfortunately, a lot of athlete believe that their choice of behaviours is made by their decision from internal motivation. However, it is actually not quite often in a stressful environment.

 

If I had this in a fridge and the coach found. He would give a punishment me.

 

Social Norms and Belonging

Many Japanese people say, “English doesn’t need honorifics, so you can speak casually overseas anytime.” But in reality, every culture and group has different rules and social manners. That means not zero manner, just different norms in each culture. We learn by observing and imitating.

These norms exist in every community, and in sports teams, they are shaped by goals, traditions, and the culture of performance. While they can create unity, they can also cause excessive conformity, stress, or harmful habits.

Especially in environments that require specific behaviours with stigmatising coaching or externally controlled motivation, how can we recognise these habits and regain autonomy?

These patterns, which are pushing through injury, avoiding food, or acting out of fear. Those can feel like personal choices. But often, they are shaped by invisible norms and expectations.
If we continue this way, we risk losing the joy and purpose that once made the sport meaningful to us.

So how can we step back, see clearly, and reconnect with our own values?

In Part 2, I’ll explore ways to reflect on your environment, understand your own motivations, and use Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a guide to reclaim autonomy and well-being in your sport.