Based on the concept of motive-goal congruence, we hypothesized that individuals with a strong implicit affiliation motive will show increased sports performance (push-ups) and increased well-being (more positive affect, less perceived stress) when sport-related goals, assigned by coaches are enriched by affiliationrelated incentives. Thirty-four athletes participated in the study. After assessing their implicit affiliation motives and baseline measures of performance and wellbeing participants were either assigned to a control group, in which they were asked to show a good push-ups performance, or to an affiliation group, in which members were additionally asked to perform well in order to support their teammates. After the coach instructions push-up performance and well-being were rated again. Assigned goal × affiliation motive interactions revealed that individuals high in the affiliation motive who were assigned to the affiliation goal group showed increased sports performances and well-being, whereas individuals low in the affiliation motives decreased performance and well-being. Results suggest that people who give goal instructions (e.g., sport coaches) have to create assigned goal-motive fits when aiming to promote athlete's performance and well-being.
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