Download What Is Personality?

Personality
and
Sport
What Is Personality?
What Makes Up Personality?
Approaches to Understanding
Personality
Measuring Personality
Cognitive Strategies and
Athletic Success
(continued)
What Is
Personality?
The characteristics
or blend of
characteristics that make
a person unique.
What Makes Up Personality?
What Makes Up Personality?
Psychological Core
The most basic and deepest
attitudes, values, interests,
motives, and self-worth of a
person—the “real” person.
Example:
A person’s guiding values in everyday
life
Typical Responses
The way one typically adjusts or
responds to the environment.
Traits
Example:
Being happy-go-lucky, shy etc.
Role–Related Behavior
How one acts in a particular
social situation, or when fulfilling
expectations of self and others.
Example:
Behavior as a student, parent, or
friend; leader or captain of a team
Approaches to Understanding Personality
Psychodynamic Approach
Behavior is determined by a
number of unconscious, constantly
changing factors that often conflict
with one another. Emphasis is
placed on understanding the
person as a whole, rather than
identifying isolated traits….
Trait Approach
Behavior is determined by
relatively stable traits that are
fundamental units of personality.
These traits predispose one to
act in a certain way, regardless of
the situation.
Situational Approach
Behavior is determined largely by
the situation or environment.
Interactional Approach
Behavior is determined by both
the person and situational factors,
as well as by their interaction.
Phenomenological Approach
Research Support:
The Bottom Line
Psychodynamic
approach
Current impact. Little influence;
hasn’t been adopted by
most contemporary sport
psychologists.
Weakness. Focuses almost
entirely on internal
determinants of behavior,
giving little attention to the
social environment.
Contribution. Awareness that
unconscious determinants of
behavior exist.
Research Support:
The Bottom Line
Trait
approach
Current impact. Little influence,
but much prior study.
Weakness. Knowing traits
will not always help predict
behavior in particular
situations.
Contribution. Emphasizes the
importance of traits and the
measurement of such
dispositions.
Research Support:
The Bottom Line
Situational approach
Current impact. Little influence.
Weakness. Situation will not
always influence individual
behavior.
Contribution. Emphasizes the
importance of the situation.
Research Support:
The Bottom Line
Interactional
approach
Current impact. Considerable
influence; adopted by most
contemporary sport
psychologists.
Weakness. Complexity
Contribution. Emphasizes the
consideration of both traits,
transient states, and situational
variables
(and interaction of all).
Personality and Athletics
Controversy: Is personality
important to performance?
Measuring Personality
General Versus
Situation– (Sport–) Specific Measures
Situation-specific trait tests predict
behavior more accurately than do
general trait measures.
It is often more effective to compare
personality test scores relative to an
individual’s own previous test results
than with group norms.
Measure both traits and states.
Selected Findings in Personality Research
Some relationship exists between
personality traits and states and sport
performance, but it is far from perfect
or precise.
No single definitive personality profile
has been found that consistently
distinguishes athletes from nonathletes.
Few personality differences are evident
between male and female athletes.
(continued)
Selected Findings in Personality Research
Type-A behavior patterns (particularly
the anger-hostility component) are
associated with cardiovascular disease
and appear to be altered via exercise.
Exercise and increased fitness appear
to be associated with increases in
self-esteem, especially in low self-esteem
individuals.
High appraisals of self-worth / Egocentricity?
Athlete stereotypes
Selected Findings in Personality Research
Profiles of stereotypical athlete: ________
General research findings:
- competitive, achievement-oriented
- confident
- extraverted
- athletes as a group are emotionally stable
- conscientious and self-disciplined
Selected Findings in Personality
Research
Profiles of women athletes
compared to female non-athletes:
- more achievement-oriented
- more confident, independent
- more assertive and aggressive
- athletes more emotionally stable
- Better college grades… more intelligent?
Selected Findings in Personality Research
Morgan’s (1980) mental health model
shows that successful athletes exhibit
greater positive mental health than do
less successful athletes. However,
precise predictions have not been
achieved and should not be used for
team selection.
The Iceberg Profile
Profile of Mood States (POMS)
The Iceberg Profile
Sensation seeking and extreme
sports: What makes some enjoy
high risk activities?
Zuckerman Sensation Seeking Scale
adventure seeking; experience seeking;
disinhibition; dislike of boredom
Ex. Study of 80 – hang gliders, car
racers, & bowlers…..
21 sky-divers vs. nondivers
Summary of Personality Factors
in Sport
• Personality traits are thought to influence
actual performance in a relatively small way
• Best way to approach the study of personality
styles in athletes is to use an interactional theory
or approach, which few studies have done
Summary of Personality Factors
in Sport: Interactional Model
Personality
(traits, life experiences, typical cognitions & emotions
etc.)
X
Situation
(current emotions, type of sport, position, opponent,
coaches, level of competition, etc.)
Cognitive Strategies
and Athletic Success
Cognitive strategies and mental
strategies are among the skills and
behaviors that athletes use in
competition.
Both quantitative and qualitative
cognitive strategy measures have been
shown to differentiate between more
and less successful athletes.
Cognitive Strategies
and Athletic Success
More successful athletes are characterized
by use of a variety of cognitive strategies,
including
arousal regulation techniques (can control anxiety)
show self-confidence
concentration and focus techniques
feeling in control and not forcing things
low in trait anxiety
(continued)
Cognitive Strategies
and Athletic Success
Using positive imagery and thought
Exercising commitment and
determination….self-discipline
Setting goals
Using well-developed plans and coping
strategies
Having adaptive reactions to loss
Sensation seeking and extreme sports