Eighteen children referred to clinics because they lacked adequate motor competence and 18 well-coordinated children were compared on measures of goal-setting, self-concept and locus of control. The results showed that the children with movement difficulties were unrealistic in the way they set goals for themselves, had lower self-esteem and were less inclined to accept responsibility for what might happen to them. The three different measures of self-regard did not, however, correlate with one another.