1. Personality and Exercise
Chapter 7
Personality and Exercise

2. Research Objectives of the Study of Personality
Do certain personality attributes develop as a consequence of physical activity/exercise participation?

3. Personality Defined
Underlying, relatively stable, psychological structures and processes that organize human experience and shape a person’s actions and reactions to the environment
Individual’s unique but consistent psychological makeup

4. Structure of Personality (According to Hollander [1967])
Personality core
Developed from early environmental interactions
Includes perceptions of external world and self, basic attitudes, values, interests, and motives
Reflective of who we are; least amenable to change
Typical responses to situations
Fairly predictable behaviors and reactions
Role-related behaviors
Variable, daily behaviors influenced by the particular context we are in
Most easily changed
(continued)

5. Person–Situation Debate
Person perspective or trait approach:
Personality is derived from stable, enduring attributes that lead to consistent responses over time/situations
Situation approach:
Behavior is best explained by individual’s reaction to environment
Debate led to the interactionist perspective to studying personality:
Both individuals and the situations in which they find themselves are important in determining behavior

6. Biological Theories of Personality
Constitutional theory (Sheldon, 1942)
Individuals possess certain body types that predispose behavioral consistency:
Ectomorph: Tense, introverted, inhibited
Endomorph: Affectionate, sociable, relaxed
Mesomorph: Adventurous, dominant, aggressive, risk-taking

7. Three Major Somatotypes

8. Trait Theories of Personality
Emphasis is placed on the person rather than on the situation or the environment
Traits are thought to reflect motivational systems that increase adaptation to positive or negative stimuli
Three related theories:
Eysenck’s personality theory
Cattell’s personality theory
Five factor model

9. Traits vs. States Traits: States:
Relatively enduring dispositions that exert a consistent influence on behaviors in a variety of situations; broad personality characteristics
States:
The psychological reaction to the situation in which an individual finds him- or herself

10. Eysenck’s Personality Theory
Relationships between traits created the following dimensions
Extroversion–Introversion (E)
Neuroticism (Emotionality)–Stability (N)
Psychoticism–Superego (P)
Few people possess the traits that reflect the far ends of the dimensions
Most people fall somewhere between the extremes

11. Eysenck’s Framework and Exercise
Leads to specific predictions in exercise setting for extroversion and neuroticism
Extroversion: Exercise could lead to increased stimulation, and thus lead to adoption/adherence to exercise routine
Neuroticism: Exercise might contribute to more stable, less neurotic personality
Research shows that personality can change as a result of regular physical activity—reduced negative factors (neuroticism) and enhanced positive factors (extroversion)

12. Cattell’s Personality Theory
Isolated 16 personality traits that he thought were the essence of personality
16 Personality Factor questionnaire (16PF)—used in sport personality and exercise studies

13. Cattell’s 16 Primary Personality Factors

14. Cattell’s Personality Theory and Exercise
Individuals with high levels of fitness would have lower anxiety and neuroticism; greater emotional stability, placidity, and relaxation
Individuals with lower levels of anxiety and neuroticism would respond favorably to intense physical training

15. Five Factor Model

16. Individual Personality Traits
Type A Personality
Hardiness

17. Type A Behavior Pattern and Exercise
Exercise has been shown to be effective in reducing this behavior pattern as well as cardiovascular disease (but results of studies are not uniform)
Coronary-prone personality
Anger/hostility are important features for increased risk of cardiovascular disease

18. Type A and B Behavior Patterns and Exercise

19. Hardiness and Exercise
Characteristics:
Sense of control over events
Commitment, dedication, or involvement in everyday life
Tendency to perceive life events as opportunities
Related to a tendency to engage in more healthful behaviors, such as exercise
Not clear if a hardy personality leads to exercise, or if exercise leads to a hardy personality

20. Practical Recommendations
Individuals who seem to be more emotional/neurotic might be encouraged to begin a regular exercise program
“Exercise dose” should be the same as would be given to improve fitness and encourage weight loss
Exercise programs should include some type of aerobic activity, since these activities influence personality factors

21. Your Viewpoint
How would you match the type of exercise to the client’s personality?
What if the individual also displays a number of type A behaviors?

22. Personality Matching*
Individuals who do not exercise regularly are likely to experience additional challenges or obstacles when they engage in activities that require them to behave differently from their customary patterns.
Beginning exercisers have one fewer barrier to success if they choose sports and fitness programs that are highly similar to their personality profiles.
*Gavin, J. (2004) Pairing Personality With Activity. Physician & Sportsmedicine, (32), 12, 1-9.

23. Does Compatibility Breed Compliance?
Greater hours of exercise participation
Higher degree of self-esteem & positive mood states
Greater exercise satisfaction

24. Seven dimensions pertinent to activity-based analyses.
Sociability
Spontaneity (degree of predictability)
Self-motivation
Aggressiveness
Competitiveness
Concentration
Risk taking

26. Does Lap Swimming Match your Personality?
Low in sociability
Low in spontaneity
Highly internal
Low to moderate forcefulness
Low in competitiveness
Low in focus
Low in risk taking

27. Professional Practice
Have the client choose an activity compare it to their perceived personality traits.
Helps clients become more aware of how personal preferences correspond to different activities.

30. Personality & Rehabilitation

31. Personality Correlates During Injury Rehabilitation
Neuroticism
Explanatory Style
Dispositional optimism
Hardiness
Over estimator
Athlete Identity & Sense of Self
Reviews the connection between personality and health. All four relate to the athletes psychological responses during injury rehab.

32. Maladaptive Behavior & Neuroticism
Selective attention to the negative emotions to injury
Anger is exhibited (“I was not a nice person when I was injured”)
Tendency to rely on inefficient coping strategies
Denial, withdrawal, selfblame, emotional venting, disengagement

33. Explanatory Style Pessimistic explanatory style Health effects
Personality caused:”It my own fault”
Stable over time: “I’m never going to play”
Global: “the rest of my life”
Health effects
Immune system function
Poorer health
Way an individual typically accounts for significant events in his or her life. Relative permanent way to explains things in a certain way—trait characteristic

34. Dispositional Optimism
Investigations are consistent
Cardiovascular and,
Immunological function is associated with optimism(Peterson et.al, 1991;Scheiver & Carver, 1987)
Optimism mitigates the stress-illness relationship
Link between optimism and recovery
General tendency for good rather than bad outcomes to occur.

35. Hardiness
“Constellation of personality characteristics that function as a resistance resource in the encountering of stressful life events”-Kobass, et. al P. 169
Components are
Commitment-strong beliefs in one own value
Challenge-views difficulties to over come
Control-sense of personal power

36. Hardiness Link Kobasa (1979) linked hardiness to physical health.
Mechanism underlying hardiness seems to be cognitive appraisal and coping processes(Florian et al, 1995; Gentry & Kobasa, 1984)

37. Studies with Athletes
Athletes who are high in neuroticism and pessimistic explanatory style display maladaptive behavior which results in longer rehab or incomplete recovery
Grove, Stewart & Gordon (1990) with athletes with ACL damage
Grove & Bahnsen (1997) with 72 injured athletes

38. Overestimators
Athletes in general perceive injury as more serious than it really is when compared to the AT perception (Crossman & Jamieson, 1985)
A group of athletes are overestimators experience greater pain, more anger, withdrawal, and show slow recover.

39. Informal Assessment
One-to-one visit & pay attention to the athlete or client’s comments
Fear, sadness, embarrassment, guilt & anger, feelings of being over whelmed by the demands of rehab—signs of neuroticism
Ask the “why” statement….
Insight into athlete’s explanatory style

40. Implications
Injured Pessimistic Athletes feel helplessness and depressed.
These athlete fail to follow recommended treatment programs(especially unsupervised aspects).
Demonstrate a lack of persistence in the face of poor or slow progress.
Health professionals should offer advise in how to cope, prevent athletic isolation, & provide emotional support.

41. Sense of Self & Rehabilitation

42. Sense of Self
If someone has only one basis for a sense of self, if that sense of self is threatened (injury), so will the entire person……Erikson, 1968
If the athlete’s sense of self is threatened the athlete will view the injury as severe loss which results in anxiety, depression, or hopelessness (Brewer, 1993).
Sense of self is similar to self-identity!

43. Self-Identity
Defined as all of the people, things, and experiences that provide validation and a sense of worth (Brewer, 1993).
Social relationships
Career
School,
Sport,
Exercise,
Cultural activities, and etc..

44. Athletic or Exercise Identity
If self- identity is based on one large and important piece and that piece is removed, people are left with limited avenues for satisfaction, enjoyment, and validation…
Being an exerciser or athlete could a major piece.

45. Athletic or Exercise Identity
Athletes and exercisers who are seriously involved
Athletes and exercisers who over invest in exercise and sports involvement
When injured these athletes and clients:
Lose sense of self or “If I am not an athlete, then who am I?” “If I cannot get a workout in, my day is lost.”
Usually experience negative rehab, lack confidence in their abilities to recover, lack motivation, experience high anxiety, and focus on injury.

46. What can be done? Maintain the athlete’s or exercise identity by:
Keep them involved in some form of sport or exercise activity.
Maintain their fitness level by redirecting them to another physical area such as weight training, swimming, etc.
They need social validation
Athletes by coaches and teammates
Exercisers by personal trainer or significant others

47. Malingering Athlete

48. Malingerers
Athlete or clients who lie about an injury to avoid practice or workout
Pathological avoidance behavior
Cling to their symptoms and disabilities
Mimic disorders
Show pain and suffering on a moment’s notice
Need for attention and fear of getting caught
Is the degree to which the drama is overdone

49. What is the cause?
Behavior has been learned, adopted as acceptable, rewarded and is done willfully or habitually (Ogilvie & Tutko, 1966).
History(I.e. spoiled at an early age)
Learned at an early age that the parent would always intervene or rescue them from trouble.
Modeling (I.e. parent, coach, sibbling, another athlete)
Very fearful of being exposed and is always on guard; clings to dishonesty at all cost.

50. Interventions
Give strictly defined boundaries of behavior and detail the consequences when stepping outside those boundaries.
Three strikes and your out!
Establish and record specific rehab goals.
Agree upon times for treatment
Agree on the length of the program
Agree on the athlete’s responsibility
Provide rewards early in rehab then once they comply vary the frequency of giving the reward.

51. That’s All Folks!!!
HAVE A GREAT DAY
READ THE CHAPTER ON STRESS…..