Trait theory



Personality theoriesThere are many different theories within psychology to explain personality and how it has an effect on sporting performance. Here are some of the theories.Trait theoryIt is suggested by Trait theorists such as Eysenck and Cattell that an individual has core personality characteristics which are the same in different situations. The reason for this is that they are born with their characteristics and the stay the same for the rest of their lives. For example a footballer who is aggressive on the pitch will be aggressive off the pitch.Another example could be: - A snooker player, who is very calm and controlled during a game, would also show they are calm and controlled when they are stuck in a traffic jam for an hour.Eysenck and the trait theoryEysenck suggests that personality is a two dimensional scaleIntrovert...............................................................Extrovert (Extroversion scale)Unstable (Neuroticism).....................................Stability (Neurotic scale)Some examples of the extremes of the two scales are shown below. In reality most people are not at the extremes of the two scales, but somewhere along them. The scales a represented in graph form as seen below. Each athlete will lie somewhere between the introvert/extrovert scale and the unstable/stable scale.Understanding an athlete's personality can be very important to a coach when putting a team together; having a team full of confident loud players who always want to be the leader can cause friction between the team. On the other hand if the team is all quiet individuals who lack in confidence there may be no-one who takes the lead to winning. Therefore a team needs to have a mixture of personalities.The table below breaks down the four types of traits providing some example characteristics for each one.TraitExampleExtrovert Sociable, outgoing, talkative, easygoing, lively, leadership Introvert Quiet, unsociable, anxious, moody Stable Calm, reliable, controlled, peaceful, thoughtful, careful, Unstable Touchy, restless, aggressive, changeable, active Eysenck's Personality InventoryThis is used to determine the personality of an individual. The two continuums are represented as a cross where personalities can be plotted, as like on a graph. This identifies where athletes lie along the extrovert/neurotic continuum. Example 1 - Wayne Rooney As you can see Wayne Rooney (WR) has been placed on the scale as extrovert/neurotic (unstable). This means he is an extrovert, but can be unstable in his approach to play (see the table below). Wayne Rooney has been placed as extrovert as he plays a team sport and enjoys communicating with the team and is a confident individual. He has been placed as quite neurotic as sometimes he can lose his temper which can lead to aggressive behaviour.Wayne Rooney may not always fall in to this category, however, from the characteristics that are seen we could place him as above. This means that sometimes he can be introvert and sometimes he can be stable. For example there are many games where Rooney has no issues with uncontrolled aggressive behaviour. Example 2 - Paula Radcliffe HYPERLINK "" [D] As you can see in the example, Paula Radcliffe (PR) has been identified as introvert/stable. Athletes may not easily fall in to one category and may show characteristics from each, but maybe slightly more one than the other, e.g. more introvert than extrovert and stable than neurotic. Although Paula Radcliffe maybe classed as introvert as she appears quite shy, she also demonstrates confidence when running which is classed as an extrovert trait. Similarly she often appears very level headed (stable) but she has been known to breakdown when her race is not going to plan (neurotic). Therefore she would not be placed at the extremes of the continuums.Trait theory activity Complete the activity placing the athletes' characteristics along the continuums and justifying the placement. There are no set wrong or right answers', it is based on opinion and open to discussion.Eysenck's personality scale activity Complete the activity by placing the sports performers along the personality scale. Drag the yellow boxes across on to the continuum and provide your justification in the table. Email this to your tutor when completed.Eysenck personality scale Personality characteristic activity Test your understanding of these traits/characteristics, by competing against the computer at BattleshipsPlay Battleships against the computerSituational approachThis approach suggests that the way in which people behave will depend on the situation that they are in and the environmental stimulus which surrounds them. This goes against the trait approach and identifies that personality is not stable, but is built out of experiences in the social world. ExampleA quiet and shy rugby player on the pitch would be loud and aggressive on the pitch.Bandura's social learning theoryIt is suggested by the social learning theorists such as Bandura that learning takes place through situational and environmental factors, through observing and imitating others. Rather than as the trait theory suggested through genetics, the social learning theory accounts for the changes in behaviour. Behaviour is influenced by observing others who are perceived as significant in the environments they are exposed to. There are two main ways of learning through observation:ModellingThis is the imitation of the behaviour of others without reinforcement.Example: Professional sports performers shaking hands with opponent after a game is copied by performers at all levels as they are a role model.ReinforcementIf behaviour is rewarded either verbally or non-verbally it is more likely to be repeated.Example: If Roger Federer was to play a back hand shot that 9 times out of 10 won him the point, other young players are likely to want to copy this.Stages of observational learningStageExplanation1 - Attention Observation of a performer's behaviour. 2 - Retention Remember the behaviour of the performer. 3 - Motor reproduction Imitate the performer's behaviour. 4 - Motivational responses If the imitation is successful the behaviour is most likely going to be repeated. It is therefore vital that our young sports performers are exposed to positive role models within sport as they have a huge influence on their values, opinions and attitudes towards sports and society in general.Interactional approachThis approach combines the trait and situational approach. It suggests that behaviour is based on the characteristics that we inherit and adapt them to the situation we are in.Interactional approach exampleRead the information providing an example of the interactional approach. Interactional approach examplePersonality theory activityPersonality theory activity Complete the personality theory activity to test your understanding of what you have learnt.Personality theoriesType A and B personality The trait theory also includes another perspective and classifies personality in to two types. These are often described as being Type A or Type B. The table below provides some examples of the differences between these two personality types.Type AType BStrong competitive drive/need to succeed.High levels of alertness/easily aroused.Work at a fast pace/strong sense of urgency.Find it hard to delegate/become angry easily.Need to be in control.Highly stressed.More relaxed.Delegate easily.Less competitive.Less urgency to get things done immediately.Tolerant and methodical.Low levels of stress.Type A and B personality activitiesType A and Type B personality activity Complete the Type A and B personality activity. Identify for yourself and for two sports performers from the drop down list, the characteristics that most apply to each, to identify if you/they fall under Type A or B personality. Email this to your tutor when completed.Type A and Type B personality activityTeam personality activity Complete the Type A and B personality activity. Identify for yourself and for two sports performers from the drop down list, the characteristics that most apply to each, to identify if you/they fall under Type A or B personality. Email this to your tutor when completed.Teams and personality activityTrait theory evaluationStrengthsWeaknessesQuestionnaires have been created to measure personalities.The questionnaires are easy to carry out.Allow comparisons with other athletes as set questions asked.Identifies that personality as fixed and long lasting which is not always the case.It fails to account for the affect the situation or environment may have on personalityPersonality inventories have questionable validity and reliability.Is not flexible in its approach by categorising personalities.Evidence of personality theoriesThere is little stand alone evidence within personality that backs each of the theories discussed; there is often contradiction of the findings. Here are some of the findings:Type A personalities tend to be more aggressive when in sporting situations.Sports performers show generally more stable and extrovert characteristics.There is not really a sporting personality type.Sports performers have the following characteristics e.g. sociable, restless, enthusiasticThere are no significant differences between team sports performers and individual sports performers. Team performers demonstrate the following characteristics e.g. aggressive, sociable and successful athletes demonstrate the following characteristics e.g. exuberance, optimism and alertness.All successful sports performers could come under any of the personality traits.Personality profile activityPersonality profile exercise Complete the personality profile activity, looking at individual versus team players, successful versus unsuccessful, athlete versus non-athlete. Use your experiences and knowledge to do the comparison. Use athletes that you know about and that have been successful/unsuccessful, compare yourself against a friend who does not participate in sport. Email this to your tutor when completed.Personality profile ................
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