Considering the problem of motivation to regular practice of physical and sporting activities, the goal of this research is to investigate the hypothesis that the narcissistic experience implies movement and paralysis. This is a qualitative study supported also on quantitative data. 178 physical education teachers completed a questionnaire that elicited information about the reasons that led to this formation, and about their current involvement with the practice of physical and sporting activities. 16 teachers, practitioners of physical and sporting activities in youth and that today no longer practice these activities, were interviewed. We conclude that academic-professional activity now occupies privileged place in the hierarchical scale of objects that provide narcissistic pleasure. The practice of physical sports activities, besides being shifted to an inferior spot, in the same scale, shall dialectize with other things similarly situated in a lower tiered value.
narcissism; exercise; motivation
