A2 Psychology of Sport Personality wk 1 Skills Lesson Starter Get out plain piece of paper and a pen Working as a team Complete green group tasks Working as an individual Complete yellow individual tasks

Lesson objectives By the end of the lesson you should understand the definition of personality understand theories of personality understand how to apply practical examples to these theories

What’s what Anything in red is a key word that you should have a definition for and then learn Anything in yellow is a task for you to do and you must write down the answer Anything green is a discussion task either with your partner or the whole class

Buzz words Trait theory Extrovert Introvert Stable Neurotic Eynsenk Type A Type B Cattell RAS Personality profiling

Definition PERSONALITY unique characteristics of an individual knowledge about personality is important to ensure optimum sporting performance A performers personality can have a direct effect on the choices that they make

Theories of personality Trait (enduring and innate Social Learning theory (learned through observation Interactionist Mixture of the other two

Trait theory Trait theorists believe that we are born with certain personality characteristics (or traits). Therefore it suggests that we are born with certain personalities which are determined by our genetic make-up Behaviour = function of personality (B=F(P))

Characteristics of traits General (covering all situations) Underlying (inside of and part of the person) Predisposition (an inclination formed earlier) Enduring (long lasting)

THEORIES OF PERSONALITY (CATTELL) TYPE A characterised by : impatience works at a rapid pace higher levels of stress easily aroused strong desire to succeed anxiety in stressful situations lacking in tolerance has a need to be in control makes decisions quickly without much preparation or thought TYPE B characterised by : relaxed and patient allow time for tasks to be completed tolerance of others’ mistakes delegates easily low personal stress calm and unflappable in most situations less competitive Do not make abrupt decisions

Remember ! Type A are stress heads Type B are chilled out

Eynsenck’s theory Enysenck identified 4 personality types 1.stable 2.extrovert 3.introvert 4.neurotic Refer to page of you booklet

Reticular Activating System (RAS) Introverts are more easily aroused than extroverts because of an area in the brain called RAS This means that introverts are more likely to become over aroused than extroverts and then their performance level will decrease So personality and arousal are strongly linked

Eysencks personality questionnaire (EPQ) What are the characteristics of athletes at A,B,C& D Do not confuse this With A / B personality types video

Primary traitDescription Extrovert Introvert Neurotic Stable Task- fill in the description of each trait

Primary traitDescription Extrovert Confident & sociable, deal well with high pressure situations Form relationships with other people Become aroused more slowly than introverts / low sensitivity to RAS Introvert Shy and reserved Not very sociable, find high pressure situations very difficult Aroused more quickly than extroverts Highly sensitive to RAS Neurotic Emotions are unpredictable Experience high levels of stress Experience mood swings Recovery from stress is slow Stable Behaviour is predictable Tend to deal well with stress Recovery from stress is rapid

A B neurotic extrovert restless, aggressive, excitable, changeable C neurotic introvert anxious, sombre, rigid, pessimistic D stable introvert careful, thoughtful, controlled, reliable, even tempered stable extrovert talkative, outgoing, easy going, carefree, showing leader qualities Use the following words to describe the personalities of the performers on pg 29,30 &31 Where would you place each of these performers on Eynsencks model?

EVALUATION OF TRAIT THEORIES THE TRAIT APPROACH is and therefore produces a limited view of what personality actually is fails to recognise that people are actively involved in constructing their own personalities and fails to recognise the effects of environmental situations as predicted by social learning and interactionist theories TRAITS do not predict behaviour are seen as rigid (they are supposed to be enduring and fixed with time) the notion that traits are enduring is seen as too long-term - subject to situations which occur which might change these factors TRAIT THEORIES have a lack of sophistication have problems of validity - how do you confirm that the traits exist?

Trait theory – evaluation Can you think of an example where trait theory could be put into practice? Think of a practical example where trait theory could be flawed

Trait theory pros & cons Measurable through questionnaires Not always a true indicator of behaviour Does not take the influence of the environment into account people think that personality factors can change with time seen as being too simple

June 04 Personality can be explained by trait perspectives and by interactionist approach. (i) describe the term ‘trait perspective means’ [2]

Typical exam Q A typical exam Q often asks for an explanation of the 3 personality theories. You may also be asked to evaluate each of the theories