Investigate the psychology of group dynamics in sport and exercise.

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Psychology

Investigate the psychology of group dynamics in sport and exercise

Task 1

Trait leadership theory: this theory states that leaders are born and not made and that they will be able to perform in any situation. It was created in the 19th century and is also known as the great man theory. Calling it the great man theory can be seen as sexist as there have been many great female leaders some examples of these are Queen Boudicea and Margaret Thatcher. Both of these females were able to take control and be a leader so by calling it a great man theory you are suggesting that only males can become good leaders.

Contingency leadership theory: this is more modern than trait theory and also disagrees with it. It suggests that no one is born to lead and that the situation that you are in and the characteristics of the group will dictate how good a leader the person will become. This means that someone can be turned into a good leader over time. Captains in sport are good examples of this. When someone first arrives at a football team they need time to settle in and get to know the players so to make them captain (leader) straight away means that some of the players may not respond to them. But by being with the group of players for a longer period of time they will gain respect for each other and will know how the group works, therefore becoming a better leader.
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Overall we prefer the contingency theory as it shows us that the situation the person is in will dictate how good a leader the person will become. It will also mean that some people will be able to lead in different situations that others wouldn't normally be able to.

Task 2

I gave a leader a questionnaire to fill in and he was to give himself marks out of ten depending on how good he was at a certain thing. I was then to mark him out of ten depending on how good I thought he ...

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