Personality can be defined as a combination of characteristics that form an individual’s own character. In other words, our personality can be seen through how we act, behave, or react in certain situations. In sport, one of the earliest ways of understanding the role of personality was through examining an athlete's personality traits. Some of the first theorists like Eysenck and Cattell argued that traits are predominantly inherited rather than environmentally introduced and that they are relatively stable aspects of a person's personality.
It has been discovered that there are two main dimensions to personality: there are introverts and extroverts. Introverts are individuals who do not actively seek excitement and prefer calm environments, this is because some introverts have naturally higher levels of arousal (a state of alertness and anticipation that prepares the body for action) and therefore do not need additional excitement or stimulus to perform well. They like to be aware of their surroundings and require concentration, they dislike the unexpected and will therefore probably become interested in sports with a constant stimulus such as marathon running or that require concentration such as archery. A good sporting example of an introvert is professional golfer Tiger Woods.
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Golf is a perfect example of a sport that would be of interest to an introvert, as it is calm, slow paced and requires concentration. (1) David L. Cook, a sports psychology consultant for many professional golfers and the author of “The Psychology of Tournament Golf,” said Sunday night. “The best voice for Tiger is the one inside him. Being an introvert has, in my opinion, helped him to have a successful career in golf as his concentration and natural arousal creates the perfect player for a sport that is quiet, reserved and requires much concentration. I believe that this personality trait works best for Tiger Woods or for any sportsman or woman that participates in an individual sport without teammates. I also believe that being an introvert in a team sport such as football could potentially hinder their performance, as they are less of a team player and would likely have good relationships with a small amount of the team if any at all, which does not work for a sport which requires a lot of teamwork.
However, on the other hand, if the introverted player is extremely talented, it can create almost a ‘one man team’ effect in which the rest of the team depends on the performance of one single player who carries the team. An example of this could be professional footballer Lionel Messi, one of his team mates, Rakitic describes Messi’s role in the team: (2) “Messi is the reference. Our game depends a lot on him. He's the best in history. He's able to turn a game around in a second. He's shy because he knows everyone is watching him.' In this rare case, I believe that being an introvert has helped Messi and his fellow teammates enhance their team and be an incredible player. Although Lionel Messi can be considered an anomaly, I believe that most of the time, introverts are best fit for individual rather than team sports.
The other main personality trait is an extrovert. Extroverts tend to be more naturally under- aroused, and can therefore become bored quickly. The result of this is that many extroverts will become interested and talented at sports that are fast paced and can change very quickly such as rugby, boxing or even badminton. Extroverts are poor at tasks that require a lot of concentration and they constantly seek change and excitement. This constant change, particularly when they interact with others, provides them with higher levels of stimulation which allows them to maintain optimal levels of brain functioning and as a result, concentration and performance. Extroverts tend to prefer sports involving lots of gross motor movements (sporting movements that require coordination of large body segments, such as the arms and legs).
A prime example of a professional athlete who happens to be an extrovert is Didier Drogba who, according to an article titled (3) “20 biggest characters in world football” id described as the 13th biggest character in football, this is down to his personality traits and being an extrovert which has allowed him to become a better footballer. The article states: “Big and powerful when leading the line, Didier Drogba's forceful temperament has occasionally gotten him into trouble, but it also drives him to success. The Galatasaray striker is worshiped back home in the Ivory Coast and remembered fondly at his former clubs Le Mans, Guingamp, Marseille, Chelsea and Shanghai Shenhua.” Being a “big character” has meant Drogba works well in the fast paced and tense environment of a football game and he will likely enjoy the pressure as well as enjoying being watched by many fans which will help him to perform better as if to show off to them.
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