1. A2 Physical Education Sport Psychology
PERSONALITY AND AROUSAL
Revision week 1

2. Overview Week 1 Aspects of personality Arousal Week 2
Controlling anxiety
Attitudes
Week 3
Aggression
Confidence
Week 4
Attribution theory
Group success
Week 5
Leadership and any questions

3. Aspects of personality – traffic light sheet
What do I know?
What do I need to know?
Anything new that I’ve learnt

4. Review your summary sheet

5. Personality TIPS!
Do not need to 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.
Be aware of the problems associated with the use of personality profiling in sport.

6. Personality
“The sum total of an individuals characteristics which make him unique” (Hollander).

7. Personality Theories Social Learning Theory (Bandura)
NATURE vs
NURTURE
Personality Theories
Social Learning Theory (Bandura)
“All behaviour is learned through interaction with the environment”
BEHAVIOUR = FUNCTION OF ENVIRONMENT
-ve = Does not consider inherited behaviour (traits)
Trait Theory (nature)
“People are born with established personality characteristics”
Inherited at birth.
Stable
Enduring
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
Interactionist Theory
“Behaviour occurs from the interaction between inherited traits and learned experiences”
BEHAVIOUR = FUNCTION OF PERSONALITY × ENVIRNOMENT

8. Personality Theories – Pg 164
Concentric Ring Theory (Hollander 1967)
Role Related Behaviour – Surface of personality
Typical Response – Your usual response in most situations
The Psychological Core – The ‘real you’
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

9. Page 162 – 165
Lewin’s approach to personality (interactionist approach) Combining social learning and trait theories.

10. Is it possible to identify links between personality and sporting performance?
Sceptical
Credulous
There is no link between personality type and success in sport
There is no link between personality and choice of sport

11. How can knowledge of the interactionist perspective Improve performance?
The coach could predict situations or remove them eg aggression
The coach could identify situations and place them in training
Use the model to modify their behaviour

12. Aspects of personality – traffic light sheet
Anything new that I’ve learnt

13. Anything to add to the summary sheet?
Any further questions?
Homework – Exam questions and devised questions due in on Friday

14. A2 Physical Education Sport Psychology
Arousal
Revision

15. Review your summary sheet

16. Name and describe the three theories of……..?

17. Key terms Arousal Somatic Reticular activating system (RAS)
P = f (H X D)

18. Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning (Hanin)
Athlete A
(low ZOF)
In zone
(best performance)
Out of zone
Athlete B
(moderate ZOF)
Out of zone
In zone
(best performance)
Out of zone
Athlete C
(high ZOF)
Out of zone
In zone
(best performance)
Increasing Arousal
An athlete will enter the zone when arousal is at an optimum level and the situation matches the athlete’s strongest attentional style.

19. Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning (Hanin)
Different people perform better under different (arousal) conditions:
Personality
Task Type
Stage of Learning
Experience
Low Zone of Functioning
(low arousal)
INTROVERT
SIMPLE/ GROSS SKILLS, E.G. SHOT PUT
COGNITIVE/ ASSOCIATIVE PHASE
NOVICE PERFORMERS
High Zone of Functioning
(high arousal)
EXTROVERT
COMPLEX/ FINE SKILLS, E.G. SPIN BOWLING
AUTONOMOUS
EXPERIENCED PERFORMER

20. Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning (Hanin)………
Teachers and coaches should guide the performer towards their personal ‘optimal threshold’ or ‘individual zone of optimal functioning’.
EFFORTLESS PERFORMANCE
THE ATHLETE FEELS IN FULL CONTROL
IN THE
ZONE!
ATTENTION AND CONCENTRATION OF THE PERFORMER IS FOCUSED
EXECUTION OF THE SKILL BRINGS ENJOYMENT AND SATISFACTION

21. PEAK FLOW – Pg 173 Excitement, happiness Anxiety, anger Relaxation,
PEAK FLOW: Optimal experience that facilitates best performance and is intrinsically valuable. (Csikzentmimalyi)
Peak flow occurs when somatic anxiety has reached an appropriate threshold and cognitive anxiety is low.
flow state is attained when the performer has a balanced perception of the demands of the situation and his/her ability to cope.
a high incentive value is to be gained from a challenge that is both realistic and attainable.
The focus of attention and concentration is maximised.
there is a self-confident belief that nothing could go wrong.
the situation suits the athlete’s strongest attentional style.
High somatic arousal
Excitement,
happiness
Anxiety,
anger
High cognitive
Arousal
anxiety
Low cognitive
Arousal
anxiety
Relaxation,
Drowsiness
Boredom
fatigue
Low somatic arousal
During these rare moments in sport, the athlete assumes control over all internal and environmental variables and a time of greatest happiness and self-fulfilment is experienced.

22. Attentional narrowing
Cue utilisation theory
Attentional narrowing
Attentional wastage
Stress management techniques

23. Examination questions

24. Anything to add to the summary sheet?
Any further questions?
Homework – Exam questions

25. Week 1
Aspects of personality
Arousal
Week 2
Controlling anxiety
Attitudes
Week 3
Aggression
Confidence
Week 4
Attribution theory
Group success
Week 5
Leadership