Personality and sports : A study about team- and individual athletes as well as elite- and lower level athletes

Denna studie syftade att undersöka hur personlighetsdragen extraversion, neuroticism och hardiness skiljde sig mellan elitidrottare och breddidrottare samt lagidrottare och individuella idrottare. Deltagarna bestod av elitidrottare (n=61), breddidrottare (n=60), lagidrottare (n=62) samt individuella idrottare (n=59) (M = 24.68, S = 6.47). Instrumentet som användes var ett enkätbatteri beståendes av Eysenck’s Personality Inventory och Personal Views Survey III-Revised. Resultaten visar att elitidrottare och lagidrottare var mer extroverta, mindre neurotiska samt hade högre nivå av hardiness än breddidrottare och individuella idrottare. Breddidrottare rapporteras som mer neurotiska än elitidrottare samtidigt som lagidrottare och individuella idrottare är lika neurotiska. Resultaten diskuteras utifrån tidigare forskning och den teoretiska referensramen. Vidare diskuteras tillämpning av studiens resultat och förslag för framtida forskning ges. This study aimed to investigate how the personality traits extraversion, neuroticism and hardiness differed between elite athletes and lower level athletes. The study also aimed to investigate how those personality traits differed between team athletes and individual athletes. The participants were elite athletes (n=61), lower level athletes (n=60), team athletes (n=62) and individual athletes (n=59) (M = 24.68, S = 6.47). The final amount of participants were 121 athletes. The measures that were used were two questionnaires; Eysenck’s Personality Inventory and Personal Views Survey III-Revised. The results indicate that elite athletes and team athletes were more extrovert, less neurotic and had higher levels of hardiness than lower level athletes and individual athletes. Elite athletes were less neurotic than lower level athletes when team athletes and individual athletes were equal in neuroticism. The results are discussed based on previous research and the theoretical framework. Further, application for the results of the study are discussed and suggestions for further research is provided