Sports Performance : Personality as Predictor of Wrestling ...

R E S E A R C H A R T II C L E
ABSTRACT
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Available ONLINE www.vsrdjournals.com
VSRD-TNTJ, Vol. 3 (8), 2012, 291-296
Sports Performance : Personality as
Predictor of Wrestling Performance in
University Level Male Players
1 Gajendra Singh and 2 Manoj Kumar Choudhary*
The present study aspired to see the significance of extent and direction of relationship of Personality Factors
(Neuroticism, Extraversion and Openness) with Wrestling Performance as well as to investigate whether
Personality Factors (Neuroticism, Extraversion and Openness) are significant predictors of Wrestling
Performance in Male University Level Players. It was hypothesized that Personality Factors (Neuroticism,
Extraversion and Openness) will have significant extent and direction of relationship with Wrestling
Performance and Personality Factors (Neuroticism, Extraversion and Openness) will be significant predictors of
Wrestling Performance in Male University Level Players. A purposive sample of 180 Male University Level
Players (age range 18-22 years) from various colleges affiliated to various universities of Haryana State, who
had participated in diverse Wrestling Tournaments at inter university/ university level was selected.
The measures – NEO – Personality Inventory (McCrae & Costa, 2003) and Sports Performance Rating Scale
(Singh, G., 2010) were administered on these players. The Correlational design along with Multiple Regression
Analysis was employed. It was empirically proved that the Personality Factor Neuroticism was significantly
positively correlated with Wrestling Performance as well as the Personality Factor Neuroticism was a significant
positive predictor of Wrestling Performance in Male University Level Players. It was ascertained that the
Personality Factor Neuroticism enhances Wrestling Performance in Male University Level Players. The results
are discussed in the light of existing researches.
Keywords : Personality, Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Wrestling Performance.
1. INTRODUCTION
A Sport is an organized, competitive, entertaining, and skillful activity requiring commitment, strategy, and fair
1 Research Scholar, Physical Education Department, CMJ University, Shillong, Meghalaya, INDIA.
2 Research Scholar, Banasthali University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, INDIA.
*Correspondence : manojchoudhary1000@rediffmail.com

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play, in which a winner can be defined by objective means. Activities such as board games and card games are
sometimes classified as "mind sports," but strictly speaking "sport" by itself refers to some physical activity.
Non-competitive activities may also qualify, for example though jogging or playing catch are usually classified
as forms of recreation, they may also be informally called "sports" due to their similarity to competitive games.
Sports are governed by a set of rules or customs (Dreschler, B., Jones, J. W., et. al., 2007).
Personality can have a profound effect on the positive or negative experience of sports for sportspersons. Such
effects can either help or hinder the player, depending on the emotion that the player chooses to express and the
situation in which he or she choose to express that emotion. Sport and physical activity programs can provide an
effective vehicle for youth to develop at a personal, social and emotional level. Such personality traits as
perfectionism, anger, and over-competitiveness, however, also have the potential of influencing a young player's
sense of self-concept (Apter, M.J., 1984). Conventional sport culture suggests that youth sport effectively
promotes personality development and "builds character". As youth sport participation has risen in recent years,
sport psychological literature has as well. However, few empirical sources specifically address personality
development and youth sports involvement (Cooper L, 1969). Because the sport culture continues to change and
higher demands are placed upon youth in terms of performance, the general media has latched on to several of
these concepts, but often do not have empirical data to support their claims.
Blanco, Hill, and Piedmont (1999) found that the five-factor model of personality could be used to make
predictions about the player’s performance in sports. The five-factor model of personality is a very useful tool in
assessing individual differences. The five-factor model, also known as "the big five" of personality, includes
five dimensions of personality. They are extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and
openness to experience. These dimensions of personality are associated with different aspects of an individual's
personality traits such as being assertive, emotional stability, and a person's tendency to experience distress. The
first of the big five, extraversion, deals with an individual’s tendency toward being either extraverted or
introverted and, therefore, whether a person is talkative, assertive, sociable, or not. The second dimension,
neuroticism, reveals an individuals' emotional stability and their tendency to experience distress and to be able
to effectively handle, emotionally, any such stressful situation. Anxiety, depression and worry are often
associated with this dimension of personality. Extraversion and neuroticism are often referred to as the "big
two." Third is conscientiousness, which deals with an individual's will to achieve goals and their dependability.
This dimension can also be used to describe a person as careful, responsible and thorough.
The fourth of the big five is agreeableness. It describes a person's humanity, or, in other words, their emotional
support or hostility, caring, and nurturance or a lack there of. Behaviorally, the fourth factor describes a person
as being good-natured, courteous, soft-hearted, tolerant, or not. The last of the big five is openness, or, more
specifically, openness to experiences. This is related to an individual's creativity and divergent thinking. It also
describes whether or not a person is open to new feelings and ideas, flexible, or willing to use their imagination.
Sport psychologists have conducted significant research in regard to sports performance and the five-factor
model of personality. Costa and McCrae's model utilizes five dimensions in order to provide a broader
description of personality. These five factors (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and
Conscientiousness) were derived empirically, using trait ratings to analyze personality. According to Costa and
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McCrae (1999), these traits are relatively stable over time. Most importantly, the model serves as a paradigm to
predict life outcomes. Most of the current research on the five-factor model and sports performance use statistics
as the sole determinant of sports performance. While this strategy does provide some determination of
performance, it fails to take into account other factors of performance, such as coach ability or "team playness".
In Piedmont's study, female soccer players were asked to complete bipolar inventory, designed to account for all
five dimensions of personality. In addition, the coaches of the players were asked to rate their players in terms of
intangibles (e.g., coach ability). At the conclusion of the season, comparisons were drawn between personality,
on-field performance and the coaches' ratings.
The results display that the dimensions of Neuroticism and Conscientiousness were related to sports
performance. There were positive correlations between Conscientiousness, sports performance and positive
coaches' ratings. Previous research suggested that players were typically dominant (i.e. low Agreeableness),
however, the present study encourages a drive for a success, motivational approach. Secondly, this research data
suggests a positive correlation between performance and low Neuroticism. McCrae & Costa maintained that a
low neuroticism score could be related to performing under pressure, tolerating stress and controlling
impulsivity, all positive characteristics of a successful player. Third, there was little correlation between low
extroversion (i.e. introversion) and high performance levels. This idea has been studied in the past. Previous
research suggested that extraversion enabled players to perform well in front of audiences (Kane, E., 1964).
2. PROBLEM
“Sports Performance: Personality as Predictor of Wrestling Performance in University Level Male Players”.
3. OBJECTIVES
The study was conducted with the following objectives :
To investigate the significance of extent and direction of relationship of Personality Factors (Neuroticism,
Extraversion and Openness) with Wrestling Performance in Male University Level Players.
To investigate whether Personality Factors (Neuroticism, Extraversion and Openness) are significant
predictors of Wrestling Performance in Male University Level Players.
4. HYPOTHESES
The study intended to test the following hypotheses:
Personality Factors (Neuroticism, Extraversion and Openness) will have significant extent and direction of
relationship with Wrestling Performance in Male University Level Players.
Personality Factors (Neuroticism, Extraversion and Openness) will be significant predictors of Wrestling
Performance in Male University Level Players.
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5. VARIABLES
Manoj Kr. Choudhary et al / VSRD Technical & Non-Technical Journal Vol. 3 (8), 2012
Personality Factors (Neuroticism, Extraversion and Openness)
6. METHODOLOGY
6.1 Sample
A purposive sample of 180 University Level Male Wrestlers (age range 18-22 years) was selected for the
present study. These Wrestlers were sampled from various colleges affiliated to various universities of Haryana
state. Only those Wrestlers were picked up for sampling who had participated in diverse competitive wrestling
tournaments at inter university /university level.
6.2 Measures
1) NEO-Personality Inventory (McCrae & Costa, 2003)
2) Sports Performance Rating Scale (Nain, G., 2010)
6.3 Statistical Analysis
Descriptive Statistics (Mean and Standard Deviation) of all the groups was computed through SPSS-17
software.
Pearson Product-moment Correlation was computed to investigate the significance of extent and direction of
relationship of Personality Factors (Neuroticism, Extraversion and Openness) with Wrestling Performance in
Male University Level Players.
The Multiple Regression Analysis was also computed to see whether Personality Factors (Neuroticism,
Extraversion and Openness) are significant predictors of Wrestling Performance in Male University Level
Players.
Correlation Matrix for Personality and Wrestling Performance in
Neuroticism 1
Male University Level Players (N = 180)
Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Wrestling Performance
Extraversion .033 1
Openness -.024 .289 ** 1
Wrestling Performance .677 ** .008 .054 1
**Significant at 0.01 level
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Coefficients of the Regression Model: Personality and Wrestling Performance
in Male University Level Players
Model Summary
Model R
R
Square
Adjusted R
Square
Std. Error of
the Estimate
R Square
Change
Change Statistics
F
f1 f2
Change
Sig. F
Change
1 .681 a .464 .455 .970 .464 50.847 3 176 .000
a. Predictors: (Constant), N, E, O
1
1
7. RESULTS
ANOVA b
Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Regression 143.519 3 47.840 50.847 .000 a
Residual 165.592 176 .941
Total 309.111 179
Coefficients a
a. Predictors: (Constant), N, E, O
b. Dependent Variable: WP
Model
Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients
T Sig.
B Std. Error Beta
(Constant) -.671 .815
-.823 .412
N .111 .009 .680 12.311 .000 **
E -.012 .018 -.038 -.652 .515
O .025 .018 .081 1.410 .160
a. Dependent Variable: WP
** Significant at 0.01 level
The Pearson Product-moment Correlation was computed to investigate the significance of extent and direction
of relationship of Personality Factors (Neuroticism, Extraversion and Openness) with Wrestling Performance in
Male University Level Players. It was empirically proved that Wrestling Performance was significantly
positively correlated with Neuroticism (r = .677; p=0.01). Thus the hypothesis no 1 (Ho 1) that Personality
Factors (Neuroticism, Extraversion and Openness) will have significant extent and direction of relationship with
Wrestling Performance in Male University Level Players stands partially accepted at 0.01 level of confidence
specifically with respect to Personality Factor Neuroticism and any rival /alternative hypothesis is not tenable.
The Multiple Regression Analysis was computed to investigate whether Personality Factors (Neuroticism,
Extraversion and Openness) are significant predictors of Wrestling Performance in Male University Level
Players. It was again empirically proved that Neuroticism was a significant positive predictor of Wrestling
Performance. Thus the hypothesis no. 2 [Ho 2] that Personality Factors (Neuroticism, Extraversion and
Openness) will be significant predictors of Wrestling Performance in Male University Level Players stands
partially accepted at 0.01 level of confidence specifically with respect to Personality Factor Neuroticism and any
rival/alternative hypothesis is not tenable. The aforesaid results are as per theoretical expectations and can be
vindicated by the following empirical researches (Piedmont, R. L., Hill, D. C., & Blanco, S. (1999);Erdheim, J.,
& Wang, M. (2007)).
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