PERSONALITYPERSONALITY((p.121 – 130, Bevis, Murrayp.121 – 130, Bevis, Murray))

• STARTER ACTIVITIES:STARTER ACTIVITIES:

• In small groups, brainstorm / mind-shower (!) what In small groups, brainstorm / mind-shower (!) what you think personality is and why it is linked to sport.you think personality is and why it is linked to sport.

• What 3 words would you use to describe yourself? – What 3 words would you use to describe yourself? – Write them down.Write them down.

• Can you think of 2 situations when you feel your Can you think of 2 situations when you feel your personality differs?personality differs?

PERSONALITYPERSONALITY

•What is PersonalityWhat is Personality??

•Total sum of an individual’s characteristics Total sum of an individual’s characteristics which make him/her uniquewhich make him/her unique

•Overall pattern of psychological Overall pattern of psychological characteristics that makes each person uniquecharacteristics that makes each person unique

•A A stablestable, , enduringenduring, unique pattern of traits , unique pattern of traits which determine our behaviourwhich determine our behaviour

PERSONALITY AND PERSONALITY AND SPORTING PERFORMANCESPORTING PERFORMANCE

• Is there a linkIs there a link?? Can you describe HOW Can you describe HOW personality might affect performance?personality might affect performance?

• What characteristics does a performer What characteristics does a performer need to possess to be successfulneed to possess to be successful??

• Positive mental healthPositive mental health• Positive self perceptionsPositive self perceptions• Positive/productive cognitive strategiesPositive/productive cognitive strategies

3 main theories for 3 main theories for PersonalityPersonality

• Personality can be Personality can be linkedlinked with Sporting with Sporting PerformancePerformance

• TRAIT THEORYTRAIT THEORY

• SOCIAL LEARNING THEORYSOCIAL LEARNING THEORY

• INTERACTIONIST THEORYINTERACTIONIST THEORY

How do the theories How do the theories differ?differ?

TRAIT THEORYTRAIT THEORY

•Personality is innatePersonality is innate

•Stable/enduringStable/enduring/unchanging/unchanging

•Enables you to Enables you to predictpredict behaviourbehaviour

•Behaviour remains the same in all Behaviour remains the same in all situationssituations

•Eg – a tennis player who is losing Eg – a tennis player who is losing always ‘loses the plot’ and smashes always ‘loses the plot’ and smashes their racket etc.their racket etc.

•INTERACTIONIST THEORYINTERACTIONIST THEORY

• Personality is formed due to a Personality is formed due to a combination of traitscombination of traits and the and the environmentenvironment

• Characteristics/Characteristics/traitstraits differ by the differ by the environment/situationenvironment/situation

• Enables more Enables more stable behaviourstable behaviour in certain situations – in certain situations – UNPREDICTABLEUNPREDICTABLE

• Change of environment = Change of behaviourChange of environment = Change of behaviour

• B = f(PE) (Behaviour is a function of personality and B = f(PE) (Behaviour is a function of personality and environment)environment)

SOCIAL LEARNING THEORYSOCIAL LEARNING THEORY

• We learn to deal with situations by We learn to deal with situations by observing others.observing others.

• We then MODEL our behaviour on what we We then MODEL our behaviour on what we have seen.have seen.

• This is in addition to the idea of learning This is in addition to the idea of learning skills by watching others.skills by watching others.

• Bandura says that behaviour is Bandura says that behaviour is determined by the situation. Social determined by the situation. Social approval or disapproval determines our approval or disapproval determines our responses since such behaviour is responses since such behaviour is reinforced or penalised by the peer group.reinforced or penalised by the peer group.

Personality and links to SportPersonality and links to Sport

• As a coach how does knowledge of a person’s As a coach how does knowledge of a person’s personality assist ……personality assist ……

• Knowledge of personality is important to ensure Knowledge of personality is important to ensure Optimum performanceOptimum performance

• Why should a teacher/coach know what an Why should a teacher/coach know what an individual is like in different situations?individual is like in different situations?

• Understand how to deal with individualUnderstand how to deal with individual• Know how to get the best out of him/herKnow how to get the best out of him/her• Develop most effective methods of coping with Develop most effective methods of coping with

changing situationschanging situations

Personality Characteristics Personality Characteristics

StableStable::Behaviour is predictableBehaviour is predictableEgEg: Golfer who has an even temperament in most situations: Golfer who has an even temperament in most situations

NeuroticNeurotic::Behaviour is unpredictableBehaviour is unpredictableEgEg: Football player who tends to fly off the handle if game is not : Football player who tends to fly off the handle if game is not going his/her/teams waygoing his/her/teams way

ExtroversionExtroversion::Affiliates to other people/Seeks out social situationsAffiliates to other people/Seeks out social situationsEgEg – Hockey player who likes to socialise after a game – Hockey player who likes to socialise after a game

IntroversionIntroversion::Avoids social situationsAvoids social situationsEgEg – A rugby player who sits quietly after a game and seems very – A rugby player who sits quietly after a game and seems very shyshy

PROFILE OF MOOD STATESPROFILE OF MOOD STATES (POMS) (POMS)

• Athletes behaviour/attitude towards exercise often changes Athletes behaviour/attitude towards exercise often changes according to their ‘mood state’according to their ‘mood state’

• Mood states are temporary/Personality traits are seen as Mood states are temporary/Personality traits are seen as relatively permanentrelatively permanent

• Mood states have been found to differ in successful and Mood states have been found to differ in successful and less successful athletesless successful athletes

• POMS looks at 6 MOOD STATESPOMS looks at 6 MOOD STATES::

• Tension/Depression/Anger/Vigour/Fatigue/ConfusionTension/Depression/Anger/Vigour/Fatigue/Confusion

ICEBERG PROFILEICEBERG PROFILE

Example of the Iceberg Example of the Iceberg ProfileProfile

• Iceberg ProfileIceberg Profile:: • Elite athletes show better Elite athletes show better mental healthmental health

• Elite group show low levels Elite group show low levels of tension, depression, and of tension, depression, and confusion but confusion but high levels high levels of vigourof vigour

• Iceberg profileIceberg profile shows the shows the peak of the vigour and the peak of the vigour and the fairly flat mood profile of fairly flat mood profile of the unsuccessful athletethe unsuccessful athlete

Successful performers therefore:Successful performers therefore:

• Display more positive mood profileDisplay more positive mood profile

• Have the ability to internalize – to use congnitve strategies Have the ability to internalize – to use congnitve strategies such as:such as:

Mental rehearsalMental rehearsal

ImageryImagery

Positive Self-talk – for coping with anxiety more Positive Self-talk – for coping with anxiety more effectively that unsuccessful performerseffectively that unsuccessful performers

• POMS could be used for selection but more often used in POMS could be used for selection but more often used in identifying possible problems e.g high levels of stress that identifying possible problems e.g high levels of stress that needs to be managed.needs to be managed.

How can we measure Personality?How can we measure Personality?

All methods have problems of validity and reliability, so can we All methods have problems of validity and reliability, so can we actually measure it??actually measure it??

• InterviewsInterviews

• QuestionnairesQuestionnaires

• Observing behaviourObserving behaviour

• Really useful for talent-identification programmes e.g trials. Really useful for talent-identification programmes e.g trials. Why????Why????

• Some players may fit better into certain situations.Some players may fit better into certain situations.

InterviewsInterviews

• Assess personality through discussions Assess personality through discussions with themwith them

• Questions can be asked directly about Questions can be asked directly about sporting performancesporting performance

• HOWEVER ….HOWEVER ….

• Are they of value when trying to assess a Are they of value when trying to assess a person’s sporting abilityperson’s sporting ability

• Questions might be designed to obtain Questions might be designed to obtain specific answers?specific answers?

RESEARCH TASKRESEARCH TASK

• Produce a high quality poster about the Produce a high quality poster about the following:following:

• Achievement motivation – motives to Achievement motivation – motives to achieve (Nach) and to avoid failure (Naf), achieve (Nach) and to avoid failure (Naf), and the characteristics of each.and the characteristics of each.

• Use: text books, T’Internet and common Use: text books, T’Internet and common sense!sense!