Personality

Why Do We Study Personality in Sports Psychology? Do you need to be a particular personality type in order to be successful in sport? If so, can we test young sports performer’s personalities and use those test to predict if they are going to be successful? Do you need to be a particular personality type to play a particular sport or a certain position in a sport?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHF0VXPanU8

Definition of Personality: Personality is: Stable and enduring(doesn’t change/lasts a long time) Set of traits (characteristics e.g.??) Unique (everyone has own personality) But permits a comparison (we share some similar traits) Influences behaviour

Gross 1992: ‘Those relatively stable and enduring aspects of individuals which distinguish them from other people making them unique but at the same time permit a comparison between individuals.

How do we form our personalities? Born with them The situation determines them Bit of both of the above We learn them – through watching others and having our behaviour reinforced or punished

Group Work Trait theory Social Learning theory Interactionist theories In groups discuss your theory. (Advantages, disadvantages, justification of whether your theory is the best one)

Prep: Flipped learning!!!! Preparation: Watch videos on mypeexam.org (registration is free) on personality 1 and personality 2 Click on ‘courses’, AQA A2 sports psychology, personality Make notes on video Cannot watch through ‘internet explorer, use google chrome’

Trait Theory Nature side of the argument B= f (P) Nature side of the argument Suggests that we inherit our genes (Innate) They are stable and enduring E.g. Aggression shown in all situations Behaviour is predictable Therefore useful to predict success in sport/suitability to a specific sport Eysenck and Cattell were two trait theorists

Eysenck’s Personality Types Extrovert Sociable, outgoing, talkative, active and optimistic Introvert Quiet, passive, unsociable, reserved and careful Stable Calm, even tempered, reliable, controlled and logical Neurotic Moody, anxious, touchy, restless and aggressive

Test: Eysenck's personality inventory Neurotic Test: Eysenck's personality inventory Introvert Extrovert Successful character? The two dimensions are independent of each other Stable

Cattell’s Theory – 16 personality factors 16 categories which give a more accurate picture of people’s characteristics and behaviour patterns Used 16PF questionnaire to measure Accepted responses may be different each time Still no clear evidence to suggest particular personalities were more likely to be successful performers

Problems/Evaluations of Trait Theory Too simplistic Not good predictors of behaviour/success/sport Doesn’t account for; Changes to personality over time Situational influences Individuals who actively alter their personality

Interactionist Approach Personality is a mixture of: Inherited traits and the current situation/social learning B=f(PE) Dominance of either personality or situational factors will depend on their strengths at the time. Can you give examples?

Hollander – Concentric ring theory ‘The real you!’ Beliefs, values and attitudes Usual response to a situation – influenced by psychological core Change according to the perception of the situation

What factors may cause behaviour to change? Crowd/significant other Derby match Final outcome is important Provoked by opposition

How can coaches use this information in sport? Identify why and when players become over aroused/aggressive Identify situations which have a negative impact on performance

Exam question: ‘How can knowledge of the interactionist theory of personality help a coach to improve the performance of an individual player?’ (4 marks)

How can we measure personality?

What are the advantages of using questionnaires to test personality? Lots of subjects can be tested at a time Therefore a quicker, more efficient system to use They are cheap/cost effective; Results gathered are numerical/objective measures achieved Large amounts of data collected in a short space of time

Disadvantages of Self-Report Questionnaires Results vary when test is repeated Participants affected by mood, situation, attitudes Respondents may lie Or give socially acceptable answers Misunderstand the question Closed questions limit answer options Most of these apply to interviews as well

Disadvantages of Interviews Time consuming Participant may lie/socially acceptable answers Status of interviewer may affect answers given

Disadvantages of Observations Time consuming Subjective If the person is aware that they are being watched they may not act normally and may change their behaviour The ethics of all tests have been questioned

Personality Testing Personality tests are unreliable, Personality is complex (lots to it) so therefore hard to measure, Personality tests measure traits – but these do not take into account the situation, People like to create a positive perception of themselves (won’t say that they have negative traits e.g. aggressiveness) Only SCAT (test of anxiety) considered to be reasonable valid

Prep: Complete EPI on page 114 in textbook, bring results to next lesson. Watch ‘POMs’ video on mypeexam.org

Profile of Mood States (POMs) Morgan (1979) suggests that mood states are more useful in the identification of successful athletes Mood states are temporary and change with the situation – better prediction?

Six mood states Tension Depression Anger VIGOUR Fatigue confusion

Suggested that score for successful athletes: Vigour should be high – causing the ‘Iceberg’ profile The more pronounced the profile, the more successful the athlete Research supports this theory – although not always needed to be a successful athlete!

Iceberg Profile Successful athletes were above the waterline (population norm) on vigour but below the surface on the more negative moods, thus creating the profile of an iceberg

Personality and sporting performance Theories presented contradict each other Sceptical Approach – questions the link Credulous Approach – supports the link Generally accepted that there is no link between personality and success/ personality and sport choice

How can knowledge of the interactionist theory of personality help a coach to improve the performance of an individual player? (4 marks)(June 2013) 4 marks for 4 of: Explanation of theory A. (Explanation of Interactionist Theory) – mixture of personality traits and the situation/trait theory and social learning theory B. Behaviour can alter in different situations C. (Lewin) – Behaviour = function(Personality x Environment) B=f(PE) D. Psychological core/inner core is fairly permanent beliefs and values E. Typical response/middle layer is usual behaviour in a given situation F. Role-related behaviour/specific behaviour in a certain situation Application of theory G. Theories suggest performers can be taught to alter their behaviour and improve performance/teach performer to act in certain ways in specific circumstances/learn how to respond to a specific situation H. Coach identifies aspects of personality or behaviour to be changed I. Creates situations or experiences to cause a change of behaviour/ eg teach aggressive player to be assertive/introvert performer not to become over-aroused in front of a crowd J. Coach identifies a suitable situation to avoid specific aspects of personality being displayed, eg move position to avoid aggressive behaviour Sub max of 3 marks D, E, F. No explanationRequired D, E, F. Accept annotated diagrams for Hollander’s model No mark for just naming Hollander

‘Discuss the suggestion that personality questionnaires can be an effective predictor of performance.’ (4 marks) June 2012 A. Named personality test – EPI, (Cattell) 16PF, SCAT, STA1, POMS, Achievement Motivation (Nach & Naf questionnaires) Sub-max of 2 marks Agree B. Credulous approach C. Personality traits linked to specific types of sports/characteristics of elite performance, eg calm under pressure/not aggressive/equiv D. Used as part of talent identification programmes E. Iceberg profile (Profile of mood states) F. Linked into high levels of vigour Disagree G. Sceptical approach H. No clear link between success/choice of sport and personality type I. Research often contradicts each other J. Personality can change due to situation Conclusion K. Neither approach has proved conclusive/no clear evidence to make accurate predictions. A. NOT CSAI 2 The focus of the question is 'can personality predict success' rather than evaluating the method of using self-report questionnaires