ssume that the most important element of success for young athletes is not winning but the perception that they have achieved their personal goals (Dubois, 1986; Knoppers, Schuiteman, & Love, 1986; Martens, 1993). We can also determine that one's personal goals are made through learning the acceptable norms through influential symbols and interactions. Another example of this is the case of baseball in Japan. In Japan, baseball players have come to the understanding of playing the game under the "Samurai Code of Conduct for Baseball," a generally recognized, through unwritten set of rules derived from the medieval warrior ethic of bushido (MacClancy, 1996). The "Code" stresses values such as unwavering loyalty, extreme self-discipline, great simplicity, discretion, modesty, acceptance of hierarchy, unquestioning obedience, and subjection of oneself for the sake of harmony among the team. The most popular sport in t
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