Sports psychology => Personality

Personality  = personality is the sum total of an individuals characteristics which make them unique => Hollander 1967

= stable, enduring and unique to each individual

  • Determine the way an individual responds to an environment

  • Involves: character, temperament etc.

 

Theory 1: Trait Perspective

A trait = personality you've had from birth

Traits = stable, enduring and consistent in all situations

Equation

B=F(p)

Behaviour = function of personality

 

Eysenck identified 4 primary personality traits or types. Introvert, extravert, stable and Neurotic

 

Limitations

  • See traits as more fixed and long lasting than they really are

  • Have not been very useful in consistently predicting behaviour => can be unreliable

  • Fail to take into account the situation of an individual's behaviour or attitudes

  • Does not account for the fact that people adapt their behaviour in response to a particular environmental situation

  • The influence that the environment and other people have on the shaping of personality is not considered

 

Theory 2: social learning theory

= proposes that all behaviour is learned through experiences and the opinions of other people

Behaviour = function of environment (B = F(E ) )

Behaviour is learned when it is reinforced => learned from others that are significant

 

Theory 3: interactionist theory

Hollander 1967 => proposed that personality has three levels that interact to form personality

Concentric ring theory

  1. Role related behaviour = surface personality => in certain situations we may behave quite differently. E.g. as a player we may argue with the referee even if we have committed a foul, but as a student if you broke the rules would never argue with a teacher

  2. Typical response = your usual response in most situations => the way in which we usually respond in certain environmental situations. Usually indicates your psychological core e.g.  Stopping play when we hear the referee's whistle

  3. Psychological core = The 'real you' => inner most point and is the beliefs and values that remain fairly permanent e.g. the value of fair play in sport

 

Interactionist view = combines the trait and social learning perspectives. It proposes that personality is modified and behaviour is formed when genetically- inherited traits are triggered by an environmental circumstance

 

Behaviour = Function of personality X environment

E.g.  A football player may be an introvert after the game but reveals extrovert qualities during the game