Sport And Personality 24_25 PDF

TOPIC 4 Sport and personality Psychology of Physical-Sport Activity Beatriz Garrido López Sciences of Physical- Sport Activity  Personality is what identifies us and what differentiates us from others. What is externalized and what is internalized. What is inherited and...

TOPIC 4 Sport and personality Psychology of Physical-Sport Activity Beatriz Garrido López Sciences of Physical- Sport Activity  Personality is what identifies us and what differentiates us from others. What is externalized and what is internalized. What is inherited and what is understood. It is psychologically constructed throughout learning and experience, configuring a complete individual transition between what has been lived in the past, what works in the present and what is focused towards the future. JUAN GONZÁLEZ-HERNÁNDEZ 2 ÍNDICE INDEX CONTENTS CONTENIDOS 1. Personality definition 2. Approaches to personality 3. Personality structure 4. Personality and behaviour in sports 5. Recommendations for sports technicians 6. Personality variables related to sport injuries 7. Activity 3 ❑ What makes up the personality of an athlete? ❑ How does personality influence sports performance? ❑ Is there a personality profile that guarantees success as an athlete, coach or referee? ❑ Can certain personality characteristics ensure great sports results? ❑ Can personality characteristics be learned? ❑ Are there differences between men and women? ❑ Is it true that sportsmen and women have something special that sets them apart from those who don't do sport? ❑ Does each sport require different psychological characteristics? 1. Personality definition Personality is the internal and coherent organization of a person's behavioral functioning. It is composed of both tendencies and repeated patterns of thoughts, emotions and behaviors linked to satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the objects pursued, and is the reflection of internal structures (more permanent) and modulated in constant change by what has been learned (what is experienced and remains). León-Zarceño y Garcés de los Fayos, 2024 5 Personality is a set of processes that, in a dynamic way, is built (through sport interaction) psychologically from purely biological responses to the dynamic maturation of the understanding of oneself and the surrounding world. 6 2. Approaches to personality TRAIT APPROACH Predisposition Trend Probability INT ERA SITUATIONAL C APP TION APPROACH ROA IST CH Environment Reinforcements 7 What are the approaches to personality? Trait approach. People's behavior depends on how they are, on their personal characteristics. _Traits predispose a person to act in a certain way. _If the person has high achievement motivation (being very competitive), the adherence to achieve the goal will be very high (regardless of the coach, peers, etc.). _Traditionally this approach was used. 8  2.1 Trait approach ✔ It assumes that personality traits are relatively stable. ✔ Psychologists who support this theory believe that the causes of behavior generally reside within the person and that the importance of situational or environmental factors is minimal. ✔ Traits predispose a person to act in a certain way. 9 What are the approaches to personality? Situational approach. The person is ignored, the situation is taken into account and the environment is analyzed in detail. We determine that the person's behavior will be conditioned 100% by the situation (environment, modeling, reinforcement). To work with him we will have to motivate him, stimulate him, show him reference models. No matter what the person is like, even if he is lazy, the behavior will be 100% related to the situation, and even more so if there are economic incentives. After the trait approach, this approach was used. 10  2.1 Situational approach ✔ Believes that behavior is mostly determined by the situation or environment. ✔ Argues that environmental influences and reinforcements shape the way you behave. 11 What are the approaches to personality? Interactionist approach. Behavior is influenced on the one hand by the individual and on the other hand by the situation (50-50). The trait and situational approach are two opposite extremes, the interactionist approach is a middle ground. Both the subject himself and the situation will influence adherence and motivation, which will result in performance and self-confidence. This approach is currently used. 12  2.1 Interaction approach ✔ This approach is currently used. ✔It considers the situation and the person as co-determinants of behavior (50-50). ✔ It is useful in determining behavior to know both the psychological traits of an individual and the particular situation. 13 3. Personality structure What are the elements of personality? An athlete's personality is a complex structure that can be divided into three fundamental components: Psychological core: values, attitudes and thoughts. Typical responses: ways of reacting. Behaviours related to the social role: social performance. Understanding these three elements can provide valuable information for addressing the psychological aspects of sports injuries, such as resilience, coping and emotional recovery. 14  3. Personality structure What are the elements of personality? Psychological core. This is the set of values, ideals, beliefs, attitudes, motivations and thoughts that direct how a person responds to their environment and makes decisions. It is the deepest and most stable level, the least changeable and most coherent. It acts as an ‘internal compass’, guiding the athlete's decisions and behaviours both in sport and in other aspects of life. Its stability and consistency over time can crucially influence how the athlete copes with and recovers from injury. This core personality component is reflected in multiple dimensions of the athlete's life, including social roles and relationships, as well as intellectual and emotional growth areas. 15 3. Personality structure What are the elements of personality? Typical answers. It is that ‘way of being’, the habitual behaviour of the person, whoever they are in whatever situation they are in and whoever they relate to. They are the ways in which people normally react to different situations and contexts. In the field of sports injuries, these responses could be coping strategies that the athlete tends to use, such as the tendency to be optimistic or pessimistic about rehabilitation, how an athlete communicates his or her concerns to coaches and doctors, or in his or her mental approach to recovery. 16 3. Personality structure What are the elements of personality? Behaviors related to the social role. They are the most susceptible to change depending on the context, as different situations require different behaviors and social roles. The same person will behave differently in different situations. He or she may be an elite athlete, a parent, a child or a student at the same time. An athlete may take on a more leadership role in the locker room, but perhaps be more reserved in doctor's offices or in front of the media. These role changes are subtle and do not indicate a radical change in the individual's personality, but rather an adaptation to new circumstances. 17 3. Personality structure Conduct related to External social role g Changin ROLE Typical Responses Reactions to stimuli Internal Psychological core nt Consiste “the true self” 18 PSYCHOLOGICAL CORE It is the deepest and most stable aspect of the personality, which includes fundamental values, beliefs and attitudes. This level is stable and difficult to change. TYPICAL RESPONSES Reflect how you tend to react in specific situations. This level includes consistent patterns of behavior that you tend to display in everyday contexts. SOCIAL ROLE BEHAVIORS These are the most changeable responses and are influenced by the environment and the role you play in social situations. You may modify your behavior depending on the situation or role (e.g., as a student, professional, or family member). 19 4. Personality and behavior in sports An attempt is made to point out more charismatic characteristics linked to sporting success, although there is no infallible formula. High self-identity (or pride) High mental flexibility High perseverance/awareness High emotional stability/regulation Although athletes may have the physical and technical attributes necessary for the sport they play, they are not necessarily psychologically prepared. Rigorous learning and training process required. 20  Structural features of relevance to personality expression Determining a psychological profile and effectiveness in sports performance has become a challenge through certain studies. To understand the personality is to take into account, in addition, aspects such as gender, age, culture/country, of special importance to understand their sporting behaviors. 21 Gender Both men and women who practice sport show emotional stability as the least developed characteristic, mainly in impulse control. While women are characterised by greater affability, perseverance and more difficulties in emotional regulation, men report greater extroversion, mental flexibility and intuition. 22 Sport practised In individual sport, athletes are characterised by greater tenacity, perseverance and conscientiousness and less mental rigidity mediated by a high internal locus of control, while in team sport it is possible to find greater tendencies towards sociability (more affable and cooperative), although sometimes more demanding behaviour towards others and difficulties with mental flexibility (high external locus of control) are also observed. In both contexts, self-regulation and emotional control are high, especially when athletes reach high performance. 23 Sporting experience More exposure to training and competition experiences generates an expertise effect, which influences self-regulatory abilities, mental anticipation and flexibility, and mastery of sporting actions. Increased opportunities to experience different sporting alternatives help to be kinder and more caring towards other people's experiences. 24 Age The characteristics of younger athletes reflect the influence of more biological, primal and temperamental factors. Connected with sporting experience, a greater exposure to practice. 25 Media spotlight on sport The social relevance that contemporary sport has acquired makes it a focus of special interest for observing sporting behaviour. Followers/fans/fans, mainly in sports with a strong media impact, cause athletes to show traits of vulnerability and/or weakness in the eyes of public opinion (which according to their interpretations make them more ‘human’). The close connection offered by their presence on social networks, the dependence on brands or sponsors that represent them and the media offer elements that are difficult to control, where anyone on the other side of the network is both a motivation (to see themselves supported) and a supervening pressure (to see themselves judged). 26 Robert Cloninger's model. It offers the possibility of describing character traits that can be extrapolated to sporting behaviors 27 Big Five Model This trait model proposes that personality is organized into five major dimensions that are relatively stable over time: 28 29 The most basic personality responses (temperament) are necessary for survival. Paying attention to them and learning to regulate them is part of maturing to consolidate effort and understanding of interests, social bonds and behavior. 30 Understood as the transition between temperament and adult personality, character is described as more mature manifestations of socio-cognitive schemas (learned beliefs and behavioral patterns) and of what is experienced in interaction with the context. 31  5. Recommendations for sports technicians Both the strength of the biological-temperamental tendencies and that of the psychosocial maturation, which constitute the character, offer the opportunity to connect the coping styles with the psychological functioning of the athletes in situations in which they will perceive themselves capable or incapable of dealing, mainly, with their emotional and behavioral response. The figures that build elements that interfere in the individual adaptation of athletes (coaches, managers, parents...) should take into account such aspects to know their influence under the relevance of temperament (more biological dimension, more characteristic of early ages and based on more primary responses) or character (maturity dimension, more loaded with intentionality and consciousness). 32  5. Recommendations for sports technicians Those who work and relate to younger populations of athletes must be aware at all times that their influences are more decisive, due to the peculiarities and maturational differences between those who direct and impact them. The personality characteristics of these relevant figures are fundamental, highlighting: a) coaches, who with their strategies condition the learning climate and experiences and b) parents, who educate and provide young athletes with sources of expectations, reinforcement values and adult reference. They must be very involved figures. The coach must be an emotionally stable person and know how to manage his/her emotions effectively. He/she must be self-confident and confident in what he/she does. 33 Personality characteristics of the coach (González-Hernández et al. 2021) 34 6. Personality variables related to sports injuries 1. HARDINESS MIND. Athletes with more resilient personalities have lower rates of vulnerability to sports injury (Wadey et al., 2012). 3 levels in the hardness: Control: perception of control of the situation. Willingness to perceive life's circumstances as something that can be controlled by oneself, rather than feeling helpless. If you perceive that things can be under your control, even if they are not positive, you are less likely to suffer from stress than if you consider that they are coming from outside and you cannot do anything about them. Commitment: involvement in the task, not shirking responsibility. Capacity to assume values with sincerity, essential for teamwork. Challenge: interpret the stressful situation as a challenge not a threat. Tendency to be open and flexible to changes in the environment, assuming them as a challenge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iuPewWbp2U 36 2. TRAIT ANXIETY. General willingness to perceive a wide range of situations as threatening and to react with anxiety response (Spielberger ,1966). Anxiety has been considered one of the most common psychological factors associated with sports injuries (Andersen & Williams, 1988; Ivarsson, Johnson & Podlog, 2013): Trait anxiety, negative events and daily stresses are significant predictors of injury. 3. MOTIVATION OF ACHIEVEMENT (Nichols, 1995). High motivational levels (achieving success or avoiding failure) = overtraining =SPORT INJURY Motivational deficit = unhealthy behaviors or attention deficit =SPORT IN. Weinberg and Gould (1995) argue that "highly competitive people tend to seek out competitive situations and they are more motivated to succeed in them than people with low levels of competitiveness". 4. COHERENCE (Antonovsky, 1985). Global personality orientation that facilitates adaptive problem solving when people are faced with stressful situations. It is a way of seeing the world and us within it, a relatively stable dispositional tendency that leads to evaluate life circumstances as meaningful, predictable and manageable. High stress levels, high coherence level = fewer health problems (less vulnerability to Sport Injuries). These people rely on 3 points: Stimuli Resources Demands · Stimuli: "comprehensibility". Cognitive component. These people analyze the cognitive component, they perfectly understand the stimuli coming from outside (external) and those coming from their own being (internal). There is a positive correlation between a sense of coherence and emotional intelligence. If you are able to understand and structure the stimuli that happen around you, you will be able to empathize more with others, to put yourself in the other's place. · Resources: at our disposal (our own, internal or external). "Manageability". Behavioral component. I analyze a situation and assess the tools/competencies I have to deal with it (internal and external). · Demands: associated with challenges, not seen as problems, but as challenges. "Meaningfulness." These demands are seen as meaningful, they endow these people's lives with meaning. They are relevant issues for them. Any challenge is given maximum importance because it endows meaning and investment (besides giving meaning, it brings benefits for me). Emotional component. 5. SEARCH OF FEELINGS Need of sensations/feelings, new and complex experiences, assuming risks for their achievement. High stress levels, high search of feelings level= less psychological problems (less vulnerability to Sport Injuries).They have a certain vaccine, they are "protected" by their personality against stressful situations). FACE A Zuckerman & Khulman (2000), sensation seekers are more likely to engage in risky behaviour by taking different types of risks and prefer sports considered extreme. (At the wheel they run more, respect the rules less, etc. which can lead to injuries). FACE B. There must be a balance in the search for sensations and in the risky behaviors they carry out.  Personality in sports https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlNn2-D7eZw  PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT ☞Personality assessment was carried out from general psychology, using surveys and tests. ☞Sport psychologists have tried to adapt some of these instruments to sport contexts. ☞The aim is to highlight those personality traits of the athlete which make it possible to describe, predict and intervene in the athlete's behaviour.  PROFILE OF MOOD STATES It is a psychological questionnaire used to assess a person's emotional state or mood profile. It was developed by McNair, Lorr and Droppleman in 1971. Widely used in a variety of fields, including sport and exercise psychology, because of its ability to identify emotional fluctuations that may influence athletes' performance and well-being. 43  PROFILE OF MOOD STATES It assesses mood in terms of six different emotional dimensions: Tension-anxiety: Feelings of nervousness, stress or worry. Depression-discouragement: States of sadness, melancholy or hopelessness. Anger-hostility: Feelings of anger, irritation or aggressiveness. 44  PROFILE OF MOOD STATES It assesses mood in terms of six different emotional dimensions: Vigour-activity: Feelings of energy, vitality and motivation. Fatigue-inertia: Feelings of tiredness or lack of energy. Confusion-disorientation: Feelings of confusion or lack of mental clarity. 45  PROFILE OF MOOD STATES The questionnaire usually consists of a series of items (65 items in its full version) in which the person assesses the extent to which he/she has experienced certain emotions in recent days or weeks, using a scale of intensity ranging from ‘not at all’ to ‘extremely’. 46 What is it for in the field of sport? Monitor the athlete's emotional state: It is useful to identify how emotional states fluctuate during the season, especially before and after important competitions. Drastic changes in mood can be indicators of overtraining, stress, emotional exhaustion or lack of motivation. Optimising performance: There are clear relationships between mood and athletic performance. Athletes who exhibit positive emotional profiles (high vigour and low tension, depression and fatigue) tend to perform better, while those with negative emotional profiles may underperform. 47 What is it for in the field of sport? Detection of psychological problems: POMS results can signal the need for psychological interventions or adjustment in training. For example, high levels of depression or anxiety could be indicators of emotional problems that require attention from a mental health professional. Prevention of overtraining syndrome: A decrease in stamina and an increase in fatigue and depression can be signs of overtraining, allowing coaches and sports physicians to adjust training loads to avoid injury and burnout. 48 Interpretation of POMS in sport The interpretation of the POMS in the sporting context is usually done through the creation of a graph known as the ‘Iceberg Profile’. This graphical profile has the following form: Vigour: This is the only dimension that should appear high in an athlete who is emotionally and physically fit. In the graph, this scale usually stands out compared to the others. Tension: Depression, Anger, Fatigue and Confusion: In a healthy profile, these scales should appear below the baseline (low). The ‘iceberg profile’ is so called because it has the shape of an iceberg, where vigour stands out (high part of the iceberg), and the other dimensions (negative emotions) remain low, below the baseline (submerged part of the iceberg). In contrast, if an athlete's profile shows high levels of tension, depression, fatigue, anger or confusion, and low levels of vigour, this may be an indicator that the athlete is emotionally and physically drained, which could affect performance. 49 D ep re ss io n A ng er Te n si on Vi g ou r Fa tig ue ICEBERG PROFILE C on fu si on Example of use Pre-competition: Coaches can use the POMS before a major competition to assess the emotional state of the team or individual athlete. If fatigue or anxiety levels are high, they may adjust training, nutrition or recovery strategies to optimise performance. Long-term monitoring: During the season, the POMS can be used to monitor the athlete's overall well-being and prevent overtraining. A drastic change in the profile can alert the coach to make adjustments to the training programme. 51  In a typical iceberg profile of a healthy athlete: Vigour high: The level of vigour should be significantly elevated compared to the other dimensions. Although there is no exact threshold, it is usually considered high if it is in the 75th percentile or above. Low Tension, Depression, Anger, Fatigue, Confusion: These dimensions should be below average, which typically means scores that are below the 25th percentile or the normative average. If any of these dimensions begin to approach or exceed the average, it may be an indication that something is not right. Relationship between high and low levels in the sporting context: High levels of vigour: These are considered a good sign, as they indicate that the athlete is energised and motivated to compete or train. Low levels in tension, depression, anger, fatigue and confusion: When these factors are low, they indicate that the athlete is not experiencing stress, exhaustion or emotional problems that could interfere with performance. For example, if an athlete has a vigour score above 75% of the normative group and tension, depression, fatigue, anger and confusion scores below 25% of the normative group, this would be a clear iceberg profile. 52  SPANISH VERSION OF THE POMS: ITEMS Below you can see a list of words that describe people's feelings. Please read each one carefully. Then circle, or put an X next to, the number which best describes how you have felt over the past week, including today. 0 = Not at all; 1 = A little; 2 = Moderately; 3 = Quite a lot; 4 = A lot 1 Anxious 0 1 2 3 4 16 Bitter 0 1 2 3 4 2 Energetic 0 1 2 3 4 17 Cheerful 0 1 2 3 4 3 Helpless 0 1 2 3 4 18 Nervous 0 1 2 3 4 4 Furious 0 1 2 3 4 19 Angry 0 1 2 3 4 5 Powerless 0 1 2 3 4 20 Exhausted 0 1 2 3 4 6 Depressed 0 1 2 3 4 21 Tense 0 1 2 3 4 7 Full of energy 0 1 2 3 4 22 Healthy 0 1 2 3 4 8 Restless 0 1 2 3 4 23 Sad 0 1 2 3 4 9 Annoyed 0 1 2 3 4 24 Mad 0 1 2 3 4 10 Worn out 0 1 2 3 4 25 Weary 0 1 2 3 4 11 Upset 0 1 2 3 4 26 Unhappy 0 1 2 3 4 12 Fighter 0 1 2 3 4 13 Hapless 0 1 2 3 4 27 Active 0 1 2 3 4 14 Irritable 0 1 2 3 4 28 Relaxed ® 0 1 2 3 4 15 Tired 0 1 2 3 4 29 Short-tempered 0 1 2 3 4  SPANISH VERSION OF THE POMS: CORRECTION The scores for each of the factors are added. The higher the score, the greater the intensity of the mood represented by each factor FACTORS DESCRIPTION ITEMS SCORE Defined by adjectives describing increases in 1, 8, 11 , 18 Max: 24 TENSION musculoskeletal tension , 21 , 28 Min: 0 Represents a depressed mood and a feeling of 3, 6 , 13 , Max: 20 DEPRESSION personal inadequacy 23 , 26 Min: 0 4, 9, 12, 14, Represents an angry mood and dislike towards Max: 32 ANGER 16, 19, 24, others Min: 0 29 Represents a state of vigour, ebullience and 2, 7 , 17 , Max: 20 VIGOUR high energy 22 , 27 Min: 0 Represents a mood of laxity, inertia, and low 5, 10 , 15 , Max: 20 FATIGUE energy level 20 , 25 Min: 0  SPANISH VERSION OF THE POMS: CORRECTION Weight the scores for each factor out of 100 To do this, use a simple cross multiplication: -24 equals 100 (Tension) -20 equals 100 (Depression, Vigour, Fatigue) -32 equals 100 (Anger)  DRAW THE PROFILE OBTAINED 100 75 Relationship of the Iceberg Profile and perceived subjective well-being 50 and academic/sports performance 25 7. ACTIVITY. Search and analyze three news/articles/interviews/statements (from the last years 2022 / 2023/2024) published in the press (written, television or internet) where the personality of the athletes is evidenced. Summary of the document: what does it say? Characteristics of the personality of the protagonist athletes: what stands out? Do you think there is a relationship between the personal characteristics of this particular athlete and his or her sports performance? Justify your answer. 58  8. PRACTICAL CASE A group of young athletes (between 13 and 16 years old) are part of a handball team in the lower categories of a professional team and for 5 years they have been working intensively with them to achieve sporting results. On their way to the youth stages, most of the team members start to show signs that do not fit the parameters of the training they do. Their coaches constantly mark their responsibilities, propose different training methodologies and are more flexible in the recovery times or times in which a given task is performed and achieved and the intensity loads in each session, but the results obtained are getting worse and worse.  Team members (athletes and coaches) are becoming more and more irascible and apathetic and are not able to control their emotions of sadness or anger, although the scheduled trainings are designed to be quite fun and are even executed effectively. Some of them are 1. What could be proposed to intervene in a similar situation? sleep disturbed and avoid sharing time outside training sessions or rallies (e.g. eating in the 2. How would the psychological functioning of those athletes who are common dining room after training). Others have driven by their more biological even started smoking, sneaking out of the group (temperamental) characteristics be and what possibilities of intervention could or taking some pills to feel better. The incidence of be proposed from sport psychology? injuries in the team has increased and athletes take much longer to recover than in a normal period. Coaches want to know what might be happening and what they can do to turn the situation around. 60 BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCIAS REFERENCES BIBLIOGRÁFICAS García- Naveira,A. y Ruiz-Barquín,R. (2013). La personalidad del deportista: una revisión teórica desde la perspectiva de rasgos. Revista Internacional de Medicina y Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte, 13(51),627-645. González-Hernández,J., Chamorro, J.L. y López-Mora, C. (2021). Personalidad y creencias en los miembros del grupo deportivo. En T. García Calvo, F.Leo-Marcos y E. Cervelló-Gimeno (Eds.), Dirección de equipos deportivos (pp.101-118). España: Tirant lo Blanch Kegelaers,J.,Wylleman,P.,Defruyt, S., Praet,L., Stambulova,N.,Torregrossa, M. et al. (2022). The mental Health of student-athletes: A systematic scopimg review. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 1-34. https:doi.org/10.1080/175098X.2022.2095657 Piepiora,P. y Piepiora,Z. (2021) Personality determinants of success in men`s sports in the light of the Bog Five. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public health, 18(12), 6297. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126297 61  REVIEW QUESTIONS 1. Discuss the three levels of personality and stability at each level. 2. Compare and contrast the situation, personality traits and personality interactionist approach. What is the most common approach among sport psychologists today? Why? 3. Analyse three psychological characteristics which are present in high-performance athletes, according to scientific literature. 4. Explain what the "iceberg profile" is.  Beatriz Garrido López [email protected] UCAM Universidad Católica de Murcia © UCAM