Personality superfactors and healthy behaviors of professional athletes
 
More details
Hide details
 
Submission date: 2014-03-26
 
 
Final revision date: 2014-06-29
 
 
Acceptance date: 2014-06-29
 
 
Online publication date: 2014-07-31
 
 
Publication date: 2014-07-31
 
 
Current Issues in Personality Psychology 2014;2(2):57-67
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background
Personality traits seem to be excellent predictors of starting, continuing and discontinuing physical activity. Moreover, they constitute an important determinant of health-seeking behaviors. Therefore, consideration of personality-related variables may be helpful in explaining either motivation of athletes or the goals they achieve.

Participants and procedure
The study included 1229 individuals, among them 532 active athletes and 697 persons with no history of competitive sporting activities. The group of sportspersons included 286 team sport athletes, 124 representatives of individual sport disciplines and 125 combat sport athletes.

Results
The athletes were found to have moderate levels of all analyzed personality dimensions. Multiple regression analysis showed that personality traits explained 46% of variance in the level of Positive Psychological Attitudes (F = 4.0, p = 0.009) and 36% of variance in the level of Health Practices (F = 2.7, p = 0.043) presented by female combat sport athletes. Personality profile explained 30% of variance in the level of Proper Nutrition Habits (F = 7.8, p < 0.001) and 40% of variance in Positive Psychological Attitudes (F = 11.2, p < 0.001) of male combat sport athletes. Personality profile explained 38% of variance in the level of Proper Nutrition Habits (F = 7.2, p < 0.001) and 30% of variance in Positive Psychological Attitudes (F = 5.1, p = 0.001) presented by men who practiced individual sport disciplines.

Conclusions
Our study confirmed that the personality super-factors are associated with health-seeking behaviors of athletes regarding proper nutrition habits, positive psychological attitudes and health practices.
 
REFERENCES (35)
1.
Aluja, A., Garcı́a, Ó. & Garcı́a, L.F. (2003). Relationships among extraversion, openness to experience, and sensation seeking. Personality and Individual Differences, 35, 671-680. doi: http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1016/S0191-8869(02)00244-1.
 
2.
Bamberger, M. & Yaeger, D. (1997). Over the edge. Sports Illustrated, 14, 62-70.
 
3.
Blecharz, J. (2008). Sportowiec w sytuacji urazu fizycznego [An athlete experiencing physical trauma]. Cracow: Wydawnictwo AWF.
 
4.
Bond, M.J. & Feather, N.T. (1988). Some correlates of structure and purpose in the use of time. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55, 321-329.
 
5.
Booth, T., Mottus, R., Corley, J., Gow, A.J., Henderson, R.D., Maniega, S.M. & Deary, I.J. (2013). Personality, Health, and Brain Integrity: The Lothian Birth Cohort Study 1936. Health Psychology, 18, 18.
 
6.
Bratland-Sanda, S., Sundgot-Borgen, J., Ro, O., Rosenvinge, J.H., Hoffart, A. & Martinsen, E.W. (2010). “I’m not physically active – I only go for walks”: physical activity in patients with longstanding eating disorders. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 43, 88-92.
 
7.
Costa Jr, P.T. & McCrae, R.R. (1992). Four ways five factors are basic. Personality and Individual Differences, 13, 653-665. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ 0191-8869(92)90236-I.
 
8.
Costa, P.T., Jr., McCrae, R.R. & Norris, A.H. (1981). Personal adjustment to aging: longitudinal prediction from neuroticism and extraversion. Journal of Gerontology, 36, 78-85.
 
9.
Dishman, R.K. & Sallis, J.F. (1994). Determinants and interventions for physical activity and exercise. In: C. Bouchard, R.J. Shephard & T. Stephens (eds.). Physical activity, fitness, and health. International proceedings and consensus statement (pp. 214-238). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
 
10.
Fox, K.R. (1997). The physical self and processes in self-esteem development. In: K.R. Fox (ed.). The physical self. From motivation to well-being (pp. 111-139). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
 
11.
Goodwin, R.D. & Friedman, H.S. (2006). Health status and the five-factor personality traits in a nationally representative sample. Journal of Health Psychology, 11, 643-654.
 
12.
Gumble, A. & Carels, R. (2012). The harmful and beneficial impacts of weight bias on well-being: the moderating influence of weight status. Body Image, 9, 101-107.
 
13.
Hamer, M. & Karageorghis, C.I. (2007). Psychobiological mechanisms of exercise dependence. Sports Medicine, 37, 477-484.
 
14.
Johnson, P., Fallon, E.A., Harris, B.S. & Burton, B. (2013). Body satisfaction is associated with Transtheoretical Model constructs for physical activity behavior change. Body Image, 10, 163-174.
 
15.
Juczyński, Z. (2001). Narzędzia pomiaru w promocji i psychologii zdrowia [Instruments for measurements in health promotion and psychology]. Warszawa: Pracownia Testów Psychologicznych Polskiego Towarzystwa Psychologicznego.
 
16.
Kajtna, T., Tušak, M., Barić, R. & Burnik, S. (2004). Personality in high-risk sports athletes. Kinesiology, 36, 24-34.
 
17.
Kinnunen, M.L., Metsapelto, R.L., Feldt, T., Kokko, K., Tolvanen, A., Kinnunen, U. & Pulkkinen, L. (2012). Personality profiles and health: longitudinal evidence among Finnish adults. Scand Journal of Psychology, 53, 512-522.
 
18.
Krawczyński, M. (2004). Gra dla zabawy czy gra dla zwyciężania – psychologiczne problemy uczestnictwa w sporcie dzieci i młodzieży [Game for fun or game to win – psychological problems associated with participation of children and adolescents in sport]. In: M. Krawczyński & D. Nowicki (eds.). Psychologia sportu w treningu dzieci i młodzieży [Sport psychology in training of children and adolescents] (pp. 73-83). Warszawa: Biblioteka Trenera.
 
19.
Lipowski, M. (2006). Rekreacja ruchowa kobiet jako zachowanie prozdrowotne – uwarunkowania a motywy uczestnictwa [Physical activity of women as pro-health behavior – determinants and motives of participation]. Gdansk: Wydawnictwo: AWFiS.
 
20.
Lipowski, M. (2012). Level of optimism and health behavior in athletes. Medical Science Monitor, 18, CR39-43.
 
21.
Lipowski, M., Bulinski, L. & Krawczynski, M. (2009). Physical activities among other types of health-related behaviour in people losing weight. Medical Science Monitor, 15, CR423-428.
 
22.
Łuszczyńska, A. (2011). Psychologia sportu i aktywności fizycznej [Psychology of sport and physical activity]. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.
 
23.
Martens, M.P., Dams-O’Connor, K. & Klimer, J.R. (2007). Alcohol and drugs use among athletes. Prevalence, etiology and interventions. In: G. Tenenbaum & R.E. Eklund (eds.). Handbook of sport psychology (pp. 859-878). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
 
24.
Mądrzycki, T. (1996). Osobowość jako system tworzący i realizujący plany [Personality as a system for creation and execution of plans]. Gdansk: GWP.
 
25.
O’Brien, K.S., Hunter, J., Kypri, K. & Ali, A. (2008). Gender equality in university sportspeople’s drinking. Drug and Alcohol Review, 27, 659-665.
 
26.
Pasman, L. & Thompson, J.K. (1988). Body image and eating disturbance in obligatory runners, obligatory weightlifters, and sedentary individuals. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 7, 759-769. doi: 10.1002/1098-108x(198811)7:63.0.co;2-g.
 
27.
Robles, D.S. (2009). Thinness and beauty: when food becomes the enemy. International Journal of Research & Review, 2, 16-30.
 
28.
Staudinger, U.M., Fleeson, W. & Batles, P.B. (1999). Predictors of subjective psychical health and global well-being: similarities and differences between the United States and Germany. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 305-319.
 
29.
Swami, V., Hadji-Michael, M. & Furnham, A. (2008). Personality and individual difference correlates of positive body image. Body Image, 5, 322-325.
 
30.
Tok, S. (2011). The big five personality traits and risky sport participation. Social Behaviour and Personality, 39, 1105-1112.
 
31.
World Health Organization. (2012). Handbook for guideline development. Geneva: WHO.
 
32.
Yusko, D.A., Buckman, J.F., White, H.R. & Pandina, R.J. (2008). Alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, and performance enhancers: a comparison of use by college student athletes and nonathletes. Journal of American College Health, 57, 281-290.
 
33.
Zaleski, Z. (1991). Psychologia zachowań celowych [Psychology of purposeful behavior]. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.
 
34.
Zawadzki, B., Strelau, J., Szczepaniak, P. & Śliwińska, M. (1998). Inwentarz osobowości NEO-FFI Costy i McCrea. Adaptacja polska. Podręcznik [NEO-Five Factor Inventory NEO-FFI by Costa & McCrea. Polish adpatation. Manual]. Warszawa: Pracownia Testów Psychologicznych Polskiego Towarzystwa Psychologicznego.
 
35.
Zawadzki, B., Szczepaniak, P. & Strelau, J. (1995). Diagnoza psychometryczna pięciu wielkich czynników osobowości: Adaptacja kwestionariusza NEO-FFI Costy i McCrae do warunków polskich [Psychometric diagnosis of the Big Five personality traits: Polish adaptation of the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) by Costa & McCrea]. Studia Psychologiczne, 33, 189-255.
 
Copyright: © Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk This is an Open Access journal, all articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.
eISSN:2353-561X
ISSN:2353-4192
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top