Measuring Personality

Sports Psychology – Personality in Sport

In this course, Dr Anthony Miller (Staffordshire University) explores the role that personality plays in sport and exercise. In the first lecture, we think about different ways to measure aspects of personality, understood as an enduring trait. In the second lecture, we think about the nature of personality, including the findings from twin studies. In the third lecture, we think about some research into personality in sport, including Kroll and Crenshaw’s study of differing personality traits in athletes in different sports. Next, we think about some strategies to work with personality characteristics in order to improve individual and team performance. In the fifth and final lecture, we think about how these concepts can be summarised.

Measuring Personality

In this lecture, we think about how personality can be measured, focusing in particular on: (i) understanding personality as an enduring trait; (ii) the ‘Big Five’ personality traits, modelled in the 1980’s by Costa and McCrae; (iii) each of the ‘Big Five’ personality traits, as openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism; (iv) the overlap between the ‘Big Five’ personality traits and Cattell’s 16 traits; (v) Hollander’s 1971 model of personality, made up of the psychological core, typical responses and role related behaviours; (vi) the limitation of personality research being that it can be context dependent.