Dimensions of Eysencks Personality Theory - Essay Example

Exercise Psychology What are the dimensions of Eysenck’s Personality Theory? How can the dimensions be used to predict exercise behavior? Eysenck, the British psychologist, defines personality on the basis of three universal dimensions. These are: 1. Introversion/ Extraversion: Introversion comprises of individuals focusing attention on inner experiences. Introverts are reserved, withdrawn and mostly don’t enjoy being the focal point of notice. Extroversion, on the other hand, comprises of a focus of attention outward mainly on other people and the environment. Extroverts are gregarious, persuasive and fit for leadership positions’. 2. Neuroticism/ Emotional Stability: Eysenck’s trait theory defines Neuroticism as pertaining to individuals who are fickle, moody, unstable and nervous. It highlights a person’s tendency to become distressed or emotional whereas emotional stability refers to a person’s ability to stay fairly constant on an emotional level. 3. Psychoticism Eysenck added the concept of Psychoticism later in his trait theory. It can be a prevalent aspect in an individual who is antagonistic, unsociable, manipulative and has trouble dealing with reality. These dimensions can be used to determine exercise behavior as shown by numerous studies, such as Arais study in Japan and Rhodes and Smith study (Define Personality: Enduring characteristics that are important to a persons behavior) can frequently be related to personality. The conclusion of the studies showed that Extraversion could be associated with being active and hence pertained to individuals who would exercise more whereas Introversion could be related to a less active behavior. Furthermore it showed that athlete’s had a tendency to be more extroverted, emotionally stable and in some few cases psychotic. (Web) Skill Acquisition 2. Describe the two stages of Gentile’s (1972) model of motor learning by clearly identifying key features and providing a sporting example of your choice. The two stages of Motor Learning defined by Gentile’s (1972) are: Stage 1 – Analyzing how the move must be made. It encompasses the general idea of how the movement must be structured in order for the individual to accomplish the object of the skill. Stage 2 – Fixation/ Diversification – Ensuring the movement is consistent within the current environment and then adapting the movement accordingly so that the performance turns out to be successful. (Web) To clearly understand these two stage let’s look at the example of how playing long-tennis can incorporate the effective use of these two stages. It incorporates the key elements in form of body movement and object manipulation. In the first stage the player will focus on understanding how he must organize his movement to successfully serve to his advantage. He then determines how relevant what move or playing position will be by using the available information for the motor skills. In the second stage, before the opponent strikes the ball in your direction you hold still or shit from spot to spot it depends, (fixate) until you decide what direction the ball might head towards. And finally you incorporate diversification in your movement with perhaps a tennis forehand drive out of reach of opponent. Hence you incorporate key elements of body movement and object manipulation of Gentile’s Model in playing Tennis. Sport Psychology 3. Using all four attentional styles within Nideffer’s (1981) framework, discuss how a golfer’s attention may change before he strikes the ball. Use examples where necessary. According Nideffer’s (1981) framework of the theory of Attentional and Personal Style is used mainly in the process of training of athletic behavior. The framework defines two dimensions of attention: width (broad to narrow) and direction (external to internal). Nideffer then crosses these two dimensions and four attentional styles emerge. These are Focused, Systematic, Strategic and Aware. (Nideffer, 1976a) Lets analyze these with an application of these attentional styles to golf in tabular form. 4. Name the four sources of self-efficacy (Bandurra, 1977) and use a sport of your choice to explain how each of these sources influences self-efficacy. Bandurra (1977) claims that self-efficacy beliefs are formed through an individual’s interpretation of the input they receive through various resources. These are primarily divided into four categories and we can enhance our understanding of what they entail through the use of various sports examples. 1. Past experiences Whether an individual interprets a previous performance positively or negatively directly has an impact on his self-efficacy beliefs. Similarly a golfer who believes that he is actually doing a good job and is satisfied with his performance despite any outward influences will have a high level of self-efficacy and result in enhanced performance in the future. A real life example can be that of Paul Lawrie, who according to Glenmuir 1891, has revealed that ‘he is satisfied with his performance in the first round of the Commercialbank Master’ after donning his golf apparel and shooting a 75. The next day he topped his previous performance and qualified for the third round at the Doha Gold Club. 2. Vicarious experiences A person compares their own performance with that of a similar model the desired behavior. These models could also play the role of mentors if their mode of performance is superior. For example Tiger Woods mentor was his athletic father Earl, who according to Wikipedia ‘was a good standard amateur golfer and one of the earliest Negro college baseball players at Kansas State University’. 3. Social persuasions This encompasses the various verbal judgments’ made by the people around us. Negative appraisals weaken self-efficacy whereas positive appraisals strengthen it. For example: Sports critics through their evaluation of the performance of athlete’s can either boost their self-efficacy and cause a surge in the careers or through harsh appraisals and judgments’ damage their careers and bring down their self efficacy. A recent incident this can be related with is the ‘Tiger woods’ sex scandal’ According to (Splash News) - Tiger Woods marriage scandal is affecting his performance on the golf course, his former coach has claimed.’ 4. Somatic and emotional states A person will assess their self-efficacy in terms of how confident or nervous depending on his own emotional and physical state as he contemplates an action. Amy Alcott, world famous golfer, quoted “Keep your sense of humor. Theres enough stress in the rest of your life to let bad shots ruin a game youre supposed to enjoy.” (Amy Alcott quotes); depicting the positive emotions surging through her while she is on the golf course. Work Cited Tiger Woods former golf coach claims scandal has affected his game. (2010, May 22). Retrieved from: http://www.sawfnews.com/Gossip/63961.aspx Glenmuir 1891. (2010, Jan 29). Retrieved from: http://www.glenmuir.com/golf-apparel-news/fashion-in-the-majors/golf-news-lawrie-satisfied-with-performance/ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. ‘Tiger Woods.’ Early life and amateur golf career. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Woods Amy Alcott quotes. Retrieved from: http://thinkexist.com/quotes/amy_alcott/ Nideffer, R. M. (1976a). The Inner Athlete. New York: Thomas Crowell. Retrieved from: http://paei.wikidot.com/nideffer-robert-attentional-personal-style Web. Retrieved from: http://clem.mscd.edu/~broida/hps450/CH04/tsld006.htm Trait Theory of Personality. Kendra Cherry. Retrieved from: http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/trait-theory.htm Web. Define Personality: Enduring characteristics that are important to a persons behavior. Retrieved from: http://quizlet.com/3236873/exercise-psych-exam-2-personality-flash-cards/ Read More