Sports Psychology Personality

Personality TIPS! Make sure you learn the specific definition of personality! Have awareness of the links between personality and sports performance. It is important to understand the NATURE (trait) V NURTURE (social learning) and interactionist perspectives of behaviour. Learn the strengths and weaknesses of each perspective. Be aware of the problems associated with the use of personality profiling in sport.

Personality What is personality? –Write down your own definition. How do you think our personalities are formed? Who do you think influences our personality?

Personality “The sum total of an individuals characteristics which make him unique” (Hollander). “Personality is the more or less stable and enduring organisation of a persons character, temperament, intellect and physique which determines the unique adjustment to the environment” (Eysenck).

Personality Theory Trait Theory Social Learning Theory Interactionist Approach Hollander’s Structure

Trait Theory “People are born with established personality characteristics” Inherited at birth. Stable Attempts to predict Enduring behaviour consistent in all situations. BEHAVIOUR = FUNCTION OF PERSONALITY +ve = Can be easily measured through questionnaires -ve = Does not take into account environmental influences. It is not a true indicator of behaviour. CATTELL (1965) identified 16 personality traits INTROVERT & EXTROVERT

Personality Types INTROVERT Shy, timid, reserved, aloof, self sufficient EXTROVERT Adventurous, confident, Sociable, Group dependent, enthusiastic TYPE ‘A’ Highly competitive, Strong desire to succeed, Works fast, likes to control, Prone to suffer stress TYPE ‘B’ Non-competitive, Unambitious, Works more slowly, Does not enjoy control Less prone to stress TRAITS NARROW BAND APPROACH, GIRDANO, 1990

Eysenck’s Trait Theory Extrovert (likes social affiliation) Stable (reliable/predictable) Neurotic (extreme emotions/unreliable) Introvert (avoids social contact)

Extroverts Said to achieve more in higher arousal situations. Prefer team oriented situations. Like activities which involve gross motor skills. Prefer activities which are less continuous eg.marathon could be demotivating & become bored. Extrovert behaviour is loud, bright & outgoing.

Introverts High levels of excitation. Tend not to need added stimulation & excitement. Prefer to take part in activities requiring more precision eg. Archery. Introvert behaviour is shy, quiet & reserved.

Stable/Neurotics Stable behaviour is consistent. Neurotic behaviour is extreme, varied & anxious.

Task Do you agree that people with certain personality characteristics are more suited to taking part in certain sports? Why/Why not? Can you think of 2 people in the same sport that have similar characteristics? Think of 2 people in the same sport with contrasting personalities.

Social Learning Theory States that behaviour changes with the situation. Rather than being born with characteristics, we learn them from other people, especially those we hold in high esteem –eg significant others such as role models, friends & parents

Social Learning Theory We are more likely to learn reinforced behaviour - why? We learn our behaviour by the following process: observe identify reinforce copy We observe others & copy them. We can also learn from experience. -ve = Does not consider inherited behaviour (traits)

Interactionist Approach Combines trait theory & social learning theory. Suggests that we base behaviour on inherent traits that we then adapt to the situation we are in. Behaviour changes with the situation B = f (PE), where behaviour is a function of personality & environment.

Interactionist Approach Example: a games player might be loud, extrovert & dominant manner in the game because that is the best way to succeed, but would be more quiet & focused when in a training session designed to improve individual technique.

Personality- with your partner… Define personality Explain the trait theory of personality Explain the social learning theory Explain the interactionalist approach Stretch & Challenge Hollander suggested a model to explain personality- can you explain this model?

Hollander’s Structure of Personality Social Environment

The boundary line of each layer gets wider as you get closer to the centre of the model which shows that each layer is harder to enter. As you move closer to the centre, your ‘real’ personality begins to surface.

Hollander’s Structure 1 = The Psychological Core: –The ‘real you’. 2 = Typical Responses: –Usual way we respond to the environment. –Learned & stored experience. –Responses may indicate the nature of the core. 3 = Role-related behaviour: –Determined by our perception of env at any given time. –Can be changed at any time –Action may not be a typical response but uncharacteristic action.

Can we measure personality? Difficult- no clear definition! Questionnaire; interview; observation Measurement error WHY? Good to predict who will drop out of sport, but also good for talent identification

Questionnaires AdvantagesDisadvantages Easy to administerValidity? No definition of personality Data collectionResponses affected by mood, attitude etc Large numbersMay lie QuickNot understand Yes/no too limited Ethics

Self Report Questionnaires Eysencks personality inventory (EPI) SCAT, STAI (sport related objectives) Profile of Mood States

Personality of performer changes from moment to moment Mood states more useful in identifying elite athletes Seen as best predictor of performance and behaviour

Profile of Mood States Successful athletes scored higher on anger and vigour but score lower on depression, fatigue, and confusion. Unsuccessful athletes score equally across all mood states. In other words, the elite athletes score higher on the positive mood of vigour and lower on the negative moods of depression, fatigue, and confusion. Suggestion that the absence of an iceberg is an indication that something is wrong –E.g. overtrained swimmers showed lower than expected scores on vigour and higher scores on fatigue, depression, and confusion.

Problems? The main problem is that these results can be assumed for ALL athletes. Not all elite performers show an iceberg profile. Could suggest that by becoming successful athletes, the elite performers acquire self- confidence and ‘feel-good’ factors that lead them to develop positive mood states.

A coach will often try to pair players with compatible personalities to form a successful double partnership What do you understand by Profile of Mood States? (3)

Observations Observed over time and a personality profile compiled Time consuming Subjective

Personality and Sporting Performance Is there a link? Can questionnaires be used to predict this? Credulous Vs Sceptical approach

Credulous Approach Although there is a link between personality research and performance in sport, there is lack of evidence to support this. Personality traits linked to specific types of sports. Eg calm under pressure Used as talent identification Iceberg profile Linked to high levels of vigour

Sceptical Approach Evidence is too general – personality alone can not predict behaviour. No clear link between sport and personality type- Choice of sport Research often contradicts each other Personality can change due to situation

In conclusion?? Neither approach has been proved conclusive/ no evidence to make accurate predictions!!

Imagine that you are taking an exam. The exam has negative marking (if you get a question wrong you lose marks). After 20 mins you find you have done all of the questions you knew the answers to or could make an intelligent guess at. There are 10 questions left what would you do? A)Answer the 10 questions and risk losing the marks? B) Sit safely and have a rest? Are you a nAch OR a Naf???

England are in the world cup final (go with it!) it has come down to penalties…. A worldwide audience is watching, the crowd is going wild… Do you step up?

Achievement Motivation Achievement Motivation is a concept developed by sports psychologists to link PERSONALITY and COMPETITIVENESS. The major issue centres on the extent to which an INDIVIDUAL IS MOTIVATED TO ATTAIN SUCCESS. Success in sport is measured against some type of COMPETITIVE GOAL.

Atkinson & McClelland (1976) – Interactionist View Competitive orientation is generated through personality and situational factors In any challenging situation, everyone will have both a ‘need to achieve’ and a ‘need to avoid failure’. Whichever feeling is stronger will determine whether the task is accepted or declined.

Need to Achieve (n.Ach) Motive to succeed Need to Avoid Failure (Naf) Motive to avoid failure Interactionist approach

Sense of pride and satisfaction from competing Perseverance Like feedback Optimism Confident Like 50/50 situations Approach behaviour Task persistence Take responsibility for their own actions Attribute performance to internal factors Takes risks and challenges Like being evaluated Don’t mind if they fail- see it as a learning experience n.Ach

Attempt to avoid shame and humiliation Worry about failure Avoid situations with a chance of success Chose tasks that are easy or very heard Don’t like feedback Attribute performance to external feedback Performance worsens if evaluated Give up easily Avoidance behaviour Naf

When faced with a competitive situation we make a decision based on our relative strengths of each aspect of personality Achievement motivation= desire to succeed- fear of failure

A club standard tennis player with a motive to achieve is given the opportunity to play some one of a similar standard or better ability. They will rise to the challenge and use the experience he may gain irrespective of the result. However, a player with a motive to avoid failure will tend to choose opponent who is better or worse then them, because they are not expected to win, or should do easily. As a result the outcome will not be a reflection of the players ability.

Our level of achievement motivation is a combination of personality and evaluation of the situational factors. Evaluation assesses two aspects: 1.Probability of success 2.Incentive value of the success (feelings of pride or shame following the task)

What can the coach do to encourage a need to achieve???

As a coach you want a player with a high level of achievement motivation. Reducing punishment and negative feelings Gradually increasing the task difficulty but ensuring challenging tasks still set Raising levels of self efficacy- avoiding learned helplessness Set goals that are achievable Re attribute Praise from significant other Encourage feelings of pride and satisfaction through success. Ensure that at least some situations guarantee early success and subsequently gradually increase task difficulty in line with progress Ensure that the probability of success is good Ensure that the incentive value of the success is high (is the race worth winning?) Development of Approach Behaviour

Reduce tendency and motive to avoid failure (naf) Reduce punishment hence lowering the chance of performer worrying about failure. Focus negative feedback on effort rather than ability. This avoids the performer tending to believe that causes of failure are internal (due to lack of ability for example) and reduces the risk of learned helplessness. Avoid situations where defeat / failure is inevitable (such as performing against a much superior opponent) if this is not possible alter the criteria for success (you will have succeeded if you only lose by 2 goals).