Personality

What is Personality?

‘The sum total of an individuals characteristics which make him or her unique’ 

(Gill, 2000)

Whilst it is difficult to truly identify what personality is (Cashmore, 2008) the general consensus is that it's a combination of hereditary traits which make us unique.  It is these characteristics which determine how a person will react in any given situation, which in this case is a sporting environment. 

Trait theorists believe that personality is determined by inherited characteristics, and therefore that our behaviour is genetically programmed (Weinberg & Gould, 2011).  For example, a person may naturally display calm, thoughtful and reliable characteristics which would consistently reflect in their behaviour, and determine their behaviour in all situations.

This is depicted as:

 B=F(P) (Behaviour is a function of personality)

(Pearson Schools, 2008)

In 1990 Girdano presented the Narrow Band Approach – a trait theory.  Girdano believed that individuals can be split into two groups based upon their personality: Type A and Type B. 

Type A	Type B
Competitive	Non-Competitive
Likes Control	Does not Enjoy Control
Strong Desire to Succeed	Un-ambitious
Suffers Stress	Relaxes Easily
Works Fast	Works Slower

(Pearson Schools, 2008; Gill, 2014)

One of the strengths of this theory is that whilst looking at the characteristics above, we all know people that we are able to say have either Type A or Type B personality, so it does work in reality.  However, the approach is too simplistic and athletes do not simply fall into one category or the other, they may lie anywhere in the middle of the spectrum.

Another trait approach was presented by Eyesenck, who produced an Inventory which measures personality across two dimensions: Introvert – Extrovert, and Stable – Neurotic, therefore a personality can be placed into one of four quadrants shown on the diagram below (Gill, 2014; Weinberg & Gould, 2011).

(Image taken from Gill, 2014)

Once again, when looking at certain athletes (or sports) we are to place them in one of the four quadrants above.  For example, we would usually say that a golfer is introverted/emotionally stable as they are generally controlled, careful and thoughtful.  Another strength of the theory is that it’s not as simplistic as Girdano’s theory, as it considers more than one dimension.  It is, however, still a relatively basic approach and works on the assumption that an individual’s behaviour will not be influenced by the environment, which we know from personal experience is not always the case (Pearson Schools, 2008).

Freud believed that our behaviour is a combined result of constantly changing restraints, rather than specific personality traits, and this is modelled in his Psychodynamic Approach.  It places emphasis on what Freud calls our instinctive drive (ID), which are our basic instincts over which we have no conscious control, and how they conflict with the more conscious parts of our personality (Weinberg & Gould, 2011).  Our Ego is the conscious link between our ID, and how we react to fulfil that desire, but it may be inhibited by our Superego, which is our moral conscience which will tell us what that behaviour is appropriate.   It is an interaction of these dynamic processes which produces our behaviour in a sporting environment (Gadsdon, 2001; Cashmore, 2008).

Weinberg & Gould (2011) state that although this method is not widely used, predominantly because of the difficulty in testing and measuring the aspects involved, it highlights that not all aspects of behaviour are under conscious control.  However, another weakness of Freud’s approach is that it focuses on behaviour being a result of internal factors, and doesn’t consider how the environment affects our behaviour.

Bandura Social Learning Theory

The state approach to personality argues that our behaviour is a product of the environment which is based upon Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (1963).

B=P(E) (Behaviour is a product of the environment)

(Pearson Schools, 2008)

Bandura stated that we learn our behaviour through observation (modelling) and feedback (social reinforcement), and therefore that it is the environment that determines our behaviour (Weinberg & Gould, 2011).

In contrast to the trait theories displayed above, the social learning theory puts the emphasis solely on the environment.   Although environmental restraints may change an athlete’s behaviour, this is not always the case as personal beliefs and characteristics sometimes overrule the requirements of the situation.  For example, when watching throwing in track and field you often hear coaches telling their athletes that they need to be ‘more aggressive’, but it isn’t a disposition which people are able to turn on and off dependent on the environment. 

Hollander's Theory of Personality (1976)

Hollander produced a model which splits personality into three layers: psychological core, typical responses, and role related behaviour .  The psychological core is thought to be the ‘real you’ – the most enduring aspect of your personality, typical responses is based upon the social environment and previous experiences which you’ve learnt and stored, and finally role related behaviour which is the aspect of your personality most susceptible to change dependent upon the environment (Pearson Schools, 2004; Weinberg & Gould, 2011; Gill, 2014). For example, a footballer might typically be a calm and controlled person (psychological core) but during a game of football he may become aggressive especially when trying to gain possession of the ball due to the nature of the game (role related behaviour).

(Image taken from Gill, 2014)

As the theory blends an enduring aspect of personality (psychological core) and the environment (role related behaviour) it is an interactionist theory.  The interactional approach is the most widely accepted approach to behaviour, as we all know from experience that we act differently in certain situations, but we still have underlying beliefs and values which are always reflected in our behaviour.

Personality is an influential factor in all of the concepts that will be discussed in this blog, and it can be used by psychologists to predict an athlete’s behaviour and therefore prepare them for a specific situation.

References:

Cashmore, E. (2008) Sport and Exercise Psychology: The Key Concepts (2^nd Ed.) Routledge: London.

Gadsdon, S. (2001) Psychology and Sport. Heinemann: Oxford.

Gill, A. (2014) Personality and Sport [PPT] FdSc Sport Coaching, Chesterfield College, February 2014.

Gill, D. (2000) Psychological dynamics of Sport and Exercise. Human Kinetics: Illinois.

Pearson Schools (2008) Chapter 8: Sport Psychology [online] Available from: http://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk/Secondary/PhysicalEducationAndSport/16plus/OCRALevelPE2008/Samples/A2PEStudentBookSamplePages/PEforOCR(A2)SBCH08.pdf [Accessed 12th March 2014]

Weinberg, R. & Gould, D. (2011) Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology (5^th Edition). Human Kinetics: Leeds.