•    Are certain personality attributes antecedents to physical activity-exercise  participation?
  •    Do certain personality attributes develop as a#consequence of physical  activity-exercise participation?

 

Personality Defined

  •        Underlying, relatively stable, psychological structures and processes that organize  human experience and shape a person’s actions and reaction to the environment   –      Individual’s unique but consistent psychological makeup

Structure of Personality  According to Hollander, 1967 

  • Personality core  o Developed form early environmental interactions
  • Includes perceptions of external world and self, basic attitudes, values, interests, and motives
  • Reflective of who we are; least amenable to change
  • Typical responses to situations  o Fairly predictable behaviors and reactions
  • Role-related behaviors   o Variable, daily behaviors influenced b the particular context we are in  o Most easily changed

 

Approaches to the Study of Personality

  •    Biological theories
  •    Dispositional-trait theories
  •    Learning-situational approaches

 

Constitutional Theory – Somatotypes

  • Individuals possess certain body types that predispose behavioral consistency  o Ectomorph: Tense, introverted, inhibited  o Endomorph: Affectionate, sociable, relaxed

o Mesomorph: Adventurous, dominant, aggressive, risk-taking

Person-Situation Debate

  • Person perspective or trait approach:  o Personality is derived from stable, enduring attributes that lead to consistent  responses over time-situations
  • Situation approach:  o Behavior is best explained by individual’s reaction to environment
  • Debate led to the interactionist#perspective to studying personality:  o Both individuals and the situations in which they find themselves are  important in determining behavior

 

Trait Theories of Personality

  •     Emphasis is placed on the person rather than on the situation or the environment
  •    Traits are thought to reflect motivational systems that increase adaptation to  positive or negative stimuli
  • Three related theories:  o Eysenck’s personality theory  o Cattell’s personality theory  o Five factor model

 

Eysenck’s Personality Theory

  •     Relationships between traits create superordinate trait dimensions
  • Extroversion-Introversion E   o Neuroticism  Emotionality -Stability  N
  • Psychoticism-Superego P
  •     Few people possess the traits that reflect the far ends of the dimensions
  •    Most people fall somewhere between the extremes

 

 

Eysenck’s Framework and Exercise

  • Leads to specific predictions in exercise setting for extroversion and neuroticism   o Extroversion: Exercise could lead to increased stimulation, and thus lead to  adoption-adherence to exercise routine
  • Neuroticism: Exercise might contribute to more stable, less neurotic personality
  •    Research shows that personality can change as a result of regular physical activity –  reduced negative factors  neuroticism  and enhanced positive factors  extroversion

 

Cattell’s Personality Theory

  •     Isolated 16 personality traits that he thought were the essential of personality
  • 16 Personality Factor questionnaire  16PF  – used in sport personality and exercise  studies
  •    A major conceptual problem has been the difficulty in interpreting complicated  findings

 

Cattell’s Personality Theory and Exercise

  •    Individuals with high levels of fitness have lower anxiety and neuroticism; greater  emotional stability, placidity, and relaxation
  •    Individuals with lower levels of anxiety and neuroticism respond favorably to  intense physical training  vigorous exercise

 

The Five-Factor Model and Exercise Behavior

  •    Neuroticism: C Exercise adherence, – self-reported exercise,  – adaptive exercise  patterns, – advanced exercise stages, and + exercise dependence
  •    ExtraversionCIntroversion: + Moderate and strenuous exercise behavior, + self- reported exercise, + adaptive exercise patterns, + advanced stages, and + exercise  dependence
  •     Openness to Experience
  •    Agreeableness: – Exercise dependence
  •    Conscientiousness: + Self-reported exercise, + adaptive exercise patterns, +  advanced exercise stages

 

Exercise and the Big 5

  •     Limited research
  •    Extraversion and conscientiousness seem to be associated with positive exercise  behaviors
  •    The key personality trait explaining exercise participation may be a sub-trait of  extraversion called the activity trait
  • The activity trait reflects a tendency to be busy, energetic, and to prefer fast-paced  living

 

Intensity Preference and Tolerance

  •    Intensity preference is a predisposition to select a particular exercise intensity when  given the opportunity
  •        Intensity tolerance is a trait that influences one’s ability to keep exercising at an  imposed level of intensity even when the activity becomes uncomfortable   –     Both constructs are associated with fitness level and exercise enjoyment

 

Coping in Sport and The Big Five

  •     No relationship between the Big Five and stressor type
  •    Increased Stress Intensity  Increased Neuroticism and Decreased Agreeableness
  •       Lower Perceived Control  Increased Neuroticism and Decreased Conscientiousness
  •     Neuroticism appears to be an unsuitable dimension for competitive sport 

 

Other Personality Factors in Exercise Research

  •     Sex-Role Orientation
  •     Type A Behavior Pattern
  •    Hardiness
  •    Self-Motivation

 

Sex Role Orientation and Exercise

  • Masculinity  M : Instrumental personality   o Risk-taking, independent, aggressive, competitive
  •    Femininity  F : Expressive personality

o Understanding, sympathetic, affectionate, compassionate

  •    Androgynous: Possesses high levels of both M and F
  •    Cross-gender activities are generally avoided by gender-typed individuals because of  psychological discomfort

 

Type A Behavior Pattern and Exercise

  •    Coronary-prone personality
  •          Anger-hostility are important features for increased risk of cardiovascular disease
  •    Exercise has been shown to be effective in reducing this behavior pattern as well as  cardiovascular disease  but results of studies are not uniform

 

Type A: Increased risk of cardiovascular disease, decreased adherence rates, increased  effort, increased intensity, increased physiological activation, decreased RPE, increased  stress responses, increased negative affective responses

Type B: Decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, increased adherence rates, decreased  effort, decreased intensity, decreased physiological activation, increased RPE, decreased  stress responses, decreased negative affective responses  exact opposite of Type A

Hardiness and Exercise

 

        –     Characteristics:

o Sense of control over events  o Commitment, dedication, or involvement in everyday life  o Tendency to perceive life events as opportunities

  •     Related to tendency to engage in more healthful behaviors, such as exercise
  •    Not clear if a hardy personality leads to exercise, or if exercise leads to a hardy  personality  could even be cyclical

 

Self-Motivation and Exercise

  •    Psychobiological Model: Both biological factors  body composition, body mass   and a psychological factor  self-motivation
  • Early predictions of model:  o Percentage of body fat and body mass would be negatively related to exercise  adherence

o Self-motivation would be positively related to adherence

  •    Subsequent research hasn’t supported the model very well

 

Practical Recommendations

  • Individuals who seem to be more emotional-neurotic might be encouraged to begin  a regular exercise program  o “Exercise dose” should be the same as would be given to improve fitness and  encourage weight loss
  •    Exercise programs should include some type of aerobic activity, since these activities  influence personality factors