A Study of the Personality Types of a Division II NCAA Football Team

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A Study of the Personality Types of a Division II
NCAA Football Team

• Kayla Clabaugh, Sarah McDevitt, Julie Sunderland
• Faculty Advisor Dr. Christine Offutt

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Sport and Exercise Psychology

• Established in 1920s
• Personality of athletes
• Athletes vs. Non-athletes
• Star athletes
• Sport Specific athletes
• Positions of athletes
• No strong statistical relationship between
  personality variables and athletic identity

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Optimism vs. Pessimism

• Research on Chronic Illnesses
• Various cancers
• Coronary Heart Disease
• Type 1 Diabetes
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Multiple Sclerosis

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Research on Chronic Illness Personality type

• Coping strategies (i.e. fighting spirit or
  hopeless spirit)
• ? Strongly associated with optimism-pessimism
• Higher optimism
• ? Fewer cancer-related worries
• ? Lower levels of depression
• Higher Pessimism
• ? Lower survival rate

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Sport Injury Personality type

• Kamen Seligman
• Hypothesized a link between pessimism and immune
  system function
• Found pessimistic individuals exhibited lowered
  immunocompetence
• Wiese-Bjornstal et al
• Responses to sport injury include
• Cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses as
  they cope with the stress of a sport injury

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Purpose of this study

• Examine if there is a link between
• Personality types (optimism-pessimism)
• And various demographics

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Methodology

• Selection of participants
• A small division II NCAA football team consisting
  of 66 athletes
• Participants had to be 18 or older
• Instrument
• Worked with advisor to select Martin E. P.
  Seligmans Optimism and Depression surveys
• Athletes were e-mailed a link to the survey

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Results

• Instrument
• The surveys were transferred into a format on
  survey monkey
• Survey was anonymous
• Consent form and intro to study
• Demographics
• Optimism/pessimism survey
• Depression survey
• Debriefing statement

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Results

• Participation
• 19 athletes out of 66 (29)
• Completed the whole survey
• 21 athletes out of 66 (31.8)
• Completed demographics-optimism survey

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Results

• Demographics
• Hometown ( 16/21, rural)
• Year in college ( mean 2.5)
• Year in football eligibility (mean 2.2)
• Ethnicity (19/21 Caucasian)
• Years in football experience (mean 8.6)
• Current position (5/21 offensive line)
• Recruited/ or not ( 18/21 not )
• Currently injured (13/21 injured)
• Playing injured ( 6/13 playing with)

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Results
12
Results
13
Results
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Results
The mean score was a .953
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Results
The mean score was a 11.9
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Results

• Other relationship
• Position vs. Personality
• Years in football vs. Personality
• Hometown vs. Personality
• NO significant differences found

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Results

• The main trend found was that of being injured
  and having a more pessimistic personality type.

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Results
VP(0-1) MP(1-2) AV(3-5) MO(6-8) VO(7-8)
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Discussion

• 31.8 Response Rate
• Ages ranged from 18-24 years old
• 62 (13/21) of the athletes that responded were
  injured
• 100 response rate to optimism
• Mean score was .95 most were pessimistic
• 91 response rate to pessimism/depression
• Mean score was 11.9 moderately depressed

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Discussion

• According to our results, athletes who are
  injured are more pessimistic
• Athletic trainers need to be aware of personality
  types
• Can influence rehab results

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Conclusion

• Main objective to provide a pilot study
• Relationship between personality and injury
• Do athletes become more pessimistic with injury?
• According to our study, YES.

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Conclusion Contd.

• No previous studies
• More research needs to be done
• Suggestions for the future
• Larger population
• More time
• Survey on paper
• Beneficial for future research due to lack of
  publications on this topic

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References

• Alvinson, C.B, and Petrie, T.A. (2003). Cognitive
  appraisals, stress, and coping Preinjury and
  postinjury factors influencing psychological
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  Health Psychology, 10, 229-235.

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References Contd.

• Kivimäki, M., Elovainio, M., Singh-Manoux, A.,
  Vahtera, J., Helenius, H., and Pentti, J. (2005).
  Optimism and pessimism as predictors of change
  in health after death or onset of sever illness
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• Lazarus, R.S., and Folkman, S. (1984). Stress,
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• Pargman, D. (1999). Psychological basis of sport
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• Schou, I., Ekeberg, Ø., and Ruland, C.M. (2005).
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  relationship between optimism-pessimism and
  quality of life. Psycho-Oncology, 14, 718-727.
• Shultz, R., Bookwala, J., Knapp, J.E., Scheier,
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• Seligman, M. (1990). Learn Optimism. New York
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• Smith, R.E., Ptacek, J.T., and Smoll, F.L.
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