INTRODUCTION

No two people are the same; everyone has their own personality characteristics. These influence
what people do for a job or what sport they take part in. A person may choose their sport because
of their personality type, someone who enjoys being on their own and are quiet may choose an
individual sport such as swimming, whereas someone who enjoys being around others and is
loud may choose to play football.

Personality has been defined in many different ways here is one example: 'A blend of
psychological characteristics that make individuals unique'. (Weinberg & Gould, 1995).

Now I’ll be discussing some theories of personality traits in relation to an individual sport
involvement.

THEORIES OF PERSONALITY TRAITS

 TRAIT THEORY

The trait theory suggests that individuals have certain characteristics that will determine how
they behave and perform in non-sport situations and in a sporting situation. The trait theory also
suggests that there are two types of people: introverts and extroverts.

Introverts tend to be shy, quiet, and don’t really share opinions. The trait theory tells us that
introverts do not actively seek excitement. They prefer calm/quiet environments; they prefer
tasks which consist of great concentration; and they also dislike the unexpected. Introverts
regularly play sports which don’t consist of teamwork and competitive situations. Instead,
introverts play individual sports or activities.

The sports which introverts may play or take part in are games like golf, which needs a fair bit of
concentration and is an individual sport. Another example is snooker, which again takes high
concentration and time to line up your shot and is not a team game. Athletics (track and field) is
another popular place to see introverts. They like to take part in marathons and 100m sprints
because it is an individual sport.
But, not all introverts play individual sports. Paul Scholes is an example of someone who I
would class as an introvert but plays football, which is a game that includes a lot of teamwork.
He is quiet, but when it comes down to playing football, he is one of the best footballers around.

Extroverts are the complete opposite. Extroverts are the type of people who are outgoing and
loud. They also tend to be more confident and like to show off. The trait theory also tells us that
extroverts get bored quickly; are poor at tasks that require a lot of concentration; seek excitement
and change; are less responsive to pain; and are more successful in sporting situations.

Extroverts prefer sports like football and rugby because they involve teamwork and hard work.
They prefer sports that are fast-paced and exciting, and those that sometimes include aggression.

An example of someone who plays these sports is Steven Gerrard, Liverpool’s captain. As
captain, he has to be confident to lead his team to victories. He is loud, aggressive, and
demanding, which is what is needed.

But, an example of an extrovert who played an individual sport is Mohamed Ali. He was very
confident, loud, and aggressive, but played an individual sport.

 SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY

This theory suggests that our personality is not a stable characteristic and that it can constantly
change due to variations in social situations. This includes the people we are around and
socialize with.

It also makes the point that we are highly unlikely to behave in the same way when we are in a
sporting situation and in a non-sporting situation. Furthermore, it suggests that in sporting
situations we learn through two different ways: modelling and reinforcement.

Modelling means that an individual is likely to model him/herself on people he/she can relate to,
such as those in the same sport or are the same gender. It basically says that when we look up to
someone, we copy their actions.
Reinforcement is important because if an individual’s behaviour is reinforced or rewarded, it is
likely that the behaviour will be repeated. You have to have high attention to retain the skill.
Motor responses and motivation skills have to be high, too.

For example the William’s sisters; Serena and Venus Williams. Their dad Richard Williams was
a tennis coach and as kids they watched their father train tennis players. This influenced their
interest and involvement in the sport. Now they are elite tennis players and one of the most
talked about players in the world of tennis.

 SITUATIONAL APPROACH TO PERSONALITY OF THEORY

Situational approach to personality theory believes that a person’s behaviour and actions are
shaped by the situation around rather than the traits the person possesses. Behaviour is believed
to be influenced by external, situational factors rather than internal traits or motivations.

It is human nature for emotions and personalities to differ depending on what is happening in our
lives. Therefore in relation to sport participation, the theory believes that a person’s participation
in sport is influenced by the things in his/her environment and not traits from parents. This
means an individual can have an athletic father or mother and not participate in sport activities if
the environment he/she is does not encourage this.

An example of someone participating in an individual sport base on situational approach to

personality: Dele comes from a poor background. Neither of his parents were athletes. His
environment had no involvement in any kind of sport. He went for a church youth camp and at
the camp everyone had a sport they were engaged in. Dele had no experience in any sport. He
wasn’t chosen to any team to play football or basketball due to his inability. He saw some youths
playing table tennis and he joined even though he couldn’t play. He lost so many times but
started getting better each game. Before the one week camp was over Dele was already in love
with the sport and had gotten very good at it. After camp Dele got home and made himself an
improvised non standard table to play with his friends. Five years later Dele is now a pro and
now represents his University in table tennis competition around the country.
 INTERACTIONAL APPROACH TO PERSONALITY OF THEORY

This theory is the only theory that is widely accepted by most sport psychologists. It tells us that
if we are going to accurately predict behaviour in a sports setting, it’s important that we consider
the situation the individual is in and the individual’s characteristics. This theory is basically a
mix between the social learning theory and Marten’s schematic view.

Marten’s schematics view says there are three different levels that relate to each other: the
physiological core, typical responses, and role-related behaviour.

The psychological core is often referred to as the real you: what you believe in, what your
interests are, and your attitude towards work and play.

Typical responses are the usual ways you respond to any given situation and are also a good
indicator of your psychological core.

Role-related behaviour determines the circumstances you are in. Circumstances are ever-
changing, especially within a sporting environment. For example, in football you won’t be the
same all the way through the game because you may get frustrated at some points. Role-related
behaviour is seen as the changeable aspect of one’s personality.

Marten’s schematic view and the interactional approach are very similar in that they both agree
that your personality can change due to the situations you face in sports and non-sporting
environments.

Example: Two brothers who both participate in swimming got instructed by their instructor to
teach a new class some routine. The younger who is more extroverted taught the class efficiently,
while the elder brother who is introverted was shy and lacked self confidence to carry it out. This
is turn brought about him to stop coming to training cause he felt incapable and embarrassed by
the situation.

 PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY

This is based on Freudian principles, it states that personality is made up of conscious and
unconscious parts. Instinctive drive (ID) is the part of personality that is unconscious and
makes performers do certain things without even thinking about it. An example here would be
on the start line at the final of a big race event the sprinter may experience high levels of anxiety
and their muscles freeze. Ego is the conscious part of personality and super ego is the moral
conscience. Both ego and super ego play similar parts in physical activity, an example would be
suggesting that someone else on the football team takes the penalty for fear of failure and
ridicule. The psychodynamic approach looks at the whole individual, this theory is useful to
explain behaviour as it attempts to show that not all behaviour is under the conscious control of
the performer, it can help to explain root causes of unusual behaviours. However this approach
is based on concepts that are not directly observable or testable, therefore there is no way to
scientifically verify findings and it is not possible to establish cause and effect links. The
methodology used may be subjective, therefore findings could be biased.
 REFERENCE

James. (2020). Sport psychology: Personality theories explained. [Internet]. Retrieved from
http://www.howtheyplay.com

Duane, PS. (2017). Theories Of Personality. [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.cengage.com