6.1 - Psychological Influences on the individual Flashcards
What is personality defined as and by who?
A ‘unique psychological make-up’ by Diane Gill.
What does the definition of personality imply?
That each person in sport has their own personality profile and that this personality can, and does, have implications for the way coaches and players should approach training and competition.
What are the features of trait theory?
That an individual is born with innate characteristics, called traits, that are stable, enduring and stay the same in different situations.
Behaviour is said to be consistent so that the sports performer will behave the same in most situations.
What does trait theory attempt to predict?
Behaviour - because if sports people are always going to behave in the same way, there is a good chance we can expect and predict that same behaviour most of the time.
What are the problems with trait theory?
Can behaviour always be predicted?
It does not take into account personality change. Personality and behaviour can change with the situation. It doesn’t consider that our personalities can be formed by experience.
Give an example showing how trait theory is inaccurate:
What theory does this suggest is better?
David Beckham played in the 2002 World Cup with concentration, dignity and focus but in 1998 he was petulant and aggressive when sent off in a World Cup game against Argentina.
The social learning approach.
What is an extrovert?
Someone who has a loud and bright personality.
What does the social learning theory suggest?
It suggests how personalities develop. Rather than being born with the characteristics, we learn them from other people, especially those who we hold in high esteem, or significant others such as role models, friends and parents.
Personality traits can be developed by associating with other people and picking up their behaviour through socialisation.
By what process do we learn our behaviour?
—->Observe—->Identify—->Reinforce—->Copy
What is the social learning theory?
A theory which suggests that behaviour is learned from significant others by socialisation.
What does the interactionist perspective attempt to explain and do?
How aspects of personality are developed and how the behaviour of sportsmen and women can be influenced by both genetic and environmental influences. It combines both the trait and social approaches.
It aims to help coaches by predicting how a player will react in a specific situation - since inherent, consistent traits can be adapted to the situation, those traits will produce a typical response.
What is trait theory?
A theory which suggests that innate characteristics produce consistent behaviour.
What is the interactionist perspective?
A theory which combines trait and social learning to predict behaviour in a specific situation.
What did Lewin suggest about behaviour and when?
That the interactionist approach is explained by Lewin’s formula:
B = f(P x E)
where behaviour is a function of personality and the environment.
What is Lewin’s formula?
B = f(P x E)
Behaviour is a function of personality and environment.
What did Hollander support and suggest?
He supported the interactionist theory as did Lewin.
He suggested that personality is made up of 3 features:
- The core of the performer.
- The typical responses.
- The role-related behaviour.
Also, the more the environment has an influence, the more behaviour is likely to change.
Explain what the core means in the Hollander model:
The core is stable and solid and not likely to change. Beliefs and values such as the belief in the benefits of playing a team sport, are underlying.
Explain what the typical responses means in the Hollander model:
These are the usual responses the player would make in a given situation. They are the use of inherent traits displayed to specific situations.
Explain what the role-related behaviour means in the Hollander model:
Implies that further changes to behaviour may be needed as the situation demands.The performer might adopt or adapt to a very specific role when the situation demands it
What does the credulous approach mean?
When the link between personality and behaviour is accepted.
What does the sceptical approach mean?
When the link between personality and behaviour is doubted.
How could a clever coach use the interactionist idea to help improve team and individual performance?
- They could predict any aggressive or unacceptable behaviour and remove the player from the situation before they get sent off or penalised.
- They could identify situations that cause inappropriate actions or dropping off of performance and create similar situations in training so that the player can learn to cope.
- They could use this approach to change player behaviour by encouraging players to adapt so specific circumstances.
Define attitude:
Avalue aimed at an attitude object.
How are attitudes formed?
By associating with others and picking up their opinions and values, a process called socialisation.
From who do we learn our attitudes?
Significant others such as friends, parents and role models.
When are attitudes more likely to be formed?
If the behaviour we see in significant others is reinforced or repeated many times.
What is the triadic model?
The 3 parts of an attitude: cognitive, affective, behavioural.
