Personality and Exercise Flashcards
(36 cards)
Def: Personality
Underlying, relatively stable, psychological structures and processes that organize human experience and shape a person’s actions and reactions to the environment
3 main facets of personality
- Personality Core: Developed from early environmental interactions and resistance to change
- Typical responses to situations: Predictable behaviour and reactions
- Role-related behaviours: daily behaviours influenced by the environment, most easily changed
structure of personality pyramid
Base: Personality Core
Middle: Typical Response
Top: Role-related behaviours
As you go up the pyramid behavior becomes more externally regulated and more dynamic
Learning/situational approaches of the study of personality
- More emphasis on environment
- Includes: Conditioning/ Behaviorist or social learning theories
- Endorse an interactionist perspective
Dispositional/Trait Theories to the study of personality
- Emphasis on the individual
- Includes: Biological and trait theories
- Endorse an interactionist perspective
Ancient Greek Theory of Humors
Balance of bodily fluids = personality
Blood = cheerful, optimistic
Yellow Bile = Irritable
Black Bile = sad, depressed
Phlegm = apathetic, indifferent
Constitutional Theory
- Individuals possess certain somatotypes (body types) determine personality
- Ectomorph (tall and lean) = Cerebrotonia (tense, introverted)
- Endomorph (Plump and round) = Visceratonia (Sociable and relaxed)
- Mesomorph (Athletic) = Somatotonia (adventurous and aggressive)
Traits
Relatively enduring dispositions that exert a consistent influence on behaviour in a variety of situations
States
The psychological reaction to the situation in which the individual finds him/herself
Trait Theories
- Emanate form inside the person
- Personality consists of specific traits and more general traits
- Examples of theories include Eysenck’s personality theory and five factor model
Dimensions of Eysenck’s Theory
Extraversion- Introversion (E)
Neuroticism - Stability (N)
Psychoticism - superego (P)
Extraversion - Introversion
- Outgoing, sociable, optimistic
- Driven by level of cortical arousal in cortex of brain
- Reticular formation mediates cortical arousal
- Introverts: Higher base level activation, avoid further stimulation, low pain tolerance
- Extroverts (Opposite)
Neuroticism - Stability
- Tense, anxious, moody
- Driven by limbic system and autonomic nervous system
- ANS drives fight or flight response
- High N - more labile, longer-lasting ANS reactions, continues to process stressors even when it is no longer present
Psychoticism- Superego
- Impulsive, aggressive, hostile
- Driven by hormonal function
- Increased androgen and relative absence of serotonin
- Lead to heightened aggressiveness, impersonal attitudes, and antisocial behaviour
- Very little attention in exercise domain; can be advantageous in certain sport situations
Factors of the five factor model
- Openness to experience/ intellect (O) : Ability to accept or adjust to new ideas
- Conscientiousness (C): Goal-oriented, self-discipline, determined and strong-willed
- Extraversion (E): Tendency to be outgoing
- Agreeableness (A): Compatible with others
- Neuroticism (N): Tense, moody, excitable
Gender-role Orientations personality factors and relevance for exercise
- Instrumental (M): Risk-taking, independence, competitiveness
- Expressive (F): Affection, compassion, understanding, sympathy
Relevance for exercise: Feminine individuals avoid masculine activities when given a choice, like exercise
Type A behaviour pattern (TAPB)
Hostility/anger, competitiveness, achievement striving, impatient, aggressive
- type A more competitive, Type B more relaxed
Hardiness
Proposed to be stress-buffering/ protects against deleterious effects of stress comprised of;
- a sense of control over events
- Commitment, dedication or involvement in everyday life
- a tendency to perceive life events as challenges and opportunities rather than as stressors
How is hardiness relevant for exercise
Hardiness is related to a tendency to engage in more healthful behaviours, but research is correlation
Personality and exercise
Personality has a small but significant effect on health and longevity
- Impacts health behaviors
- Reactivity to stressors
- Psychological responses to illness
What is the goal of research in exercise psychology
Seeks to determine psychological antecedents of physical activity and psychological consequences of physical activity
Antecedents of physical activity
- Exercise types
- Preferred intensity
- Setting of exercise
- Ability to stick to a plan/ schedule
- Willingness to try new activities
- Risk taking
Consequences of exercise
- Increase enjoyment and intrinsic motivation
- Increased confidence and self-efficacy to perform a task
- willingness to new activity
- Willing to take greater risks
- Confidence and ability to overcome barriers
- Increased resiliency
- Decreased cardiovascular disease risk
Exercise preferences associated with extroversion and why
- Exercise increases stimulation
- Higher pain tolerance
- preference for high intensity activity
- report lower RPE
