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

PERSONALI TY

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 types1. stable2. extrovert3. introvert4. 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 trait Description

Extrovert

Introvert

Neurotic

Stable

Task- fill in the description of each trait

Primary trait Description

Extrovert Confident & sociable, deal well with high pressure situationsForm 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 stressExperience mood swingsRecovery from stress is slow

Stable Behaviour is predictableTend to deal well with stressRecovery 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 extroverttalkative, 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 04Personality 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