So there are many things that make up your personality, the main four factors that influence how we respond in a given situation are:
- Our genetic make up
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Our past experience
- The nature of the situation in which we find ourselves
- Our free will
Each of these factors is emphasized by one or more theories of personality these are:
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Trait theories – Emphasises the roles of genetics in determining our individuality. Traits are the stable, enduring characteristic of a person. One person can be an extrovert, lively, impulsive etc, while another is introvert, very shy, quite etc. These can be seen in the sport they play.
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Social Learning theory – Sees personality as primarily determined by past experience, and what situation we are in. A basketball player exhibits assertive behaviour because that situation calls for it and because it has been reinforced in the past, any person in the same situation would display the same behaviour.
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Narrow-band theories – These focus on a single aspect of personality. Such as free will, i.e. the way we feel, think and behave, although we think we choose to behave the way we do, it is always likely that we are influenced to some degree.
There are some many things in our personality that affects how we perform. For example a sprinter, will be constraint, achievement striving and self-discipline. Our personality will also give away if we are a successful or an unsuccessful athlete.
Psychologist Michael Mahony and collaborator Marshall Avener used interviews, surveys and observations with participants at the tryouts for the 1976 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team. Their study (1977), comparing Olympic qualifiers and nonquailfiers, showed that qualifiers were more self-confident, were more likely to think and dream about gymnastics, were more likely to use self-talk and internal mental imagery, and were able to control worry and concentrate on the task at the time of the performance.
Individual differences are obvious in sport settings, and personality plays a key role in nearly all sport behaviours.
Attention and Cognitive Styles:
Cognitive skills, such as the ability to focus and maintain attention, have clear implications for performance and behaviour.
We can hear a coach shouting to a ten year old “keep your eye on the ball” some ten year olds are better at keeping their eye on the ball then others. Some coaches use imagery, a diver may find it useful whiles others find it a distraction. Individual differences in attention and cognitive styles reflect personality.
Attention is very important when participating in a sport, some athletes may have to concentrate on more than one thing, for example, listening for both the starters gun and a coach’s command could provoke structural interference.
Emotion can also affect attention, if something major has happen in an athletes life that has emotionally hurt them, they could loose attention while playing a game, for example, if a player has little attention whilst paying a game of rugby, they may miss catching the ball and runs, thus maybe resulting in loosing the game.
Self-concept:
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Sports Competence (SPORT): Perceptions of sport and athletic ability, ability to learn sport skills, and confidence in the sport environment.
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Physical Condition (CONDITION): Perceptions of level of physical condition, stamina, and fitness, ability to maintain exercise, and confidence in the exercise and fitness setting.
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Body Attractiveness (BODY): Perceived attractiveness of figure or physique, ability to maintain an attractive body, and confidence in appearance.
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Physical Strength (STRENGTH): Perceived strength, muscle development, and confidence in situations requiring strength.
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Physical Self Worth (PSW): General feelings of happiness, satisfaction, pride, respect, and confidence in the physical self.
