Athletics, Activity and Personality: A Review of the Literature

The 3M Model of Motivation and Personality

“…Newcombe and Boyle (1995) found that sports participants were more extraverted and less anxious and neurotic. These conclusions are supported by a large number of studies (e.g., Cooper 1969). Generally, this research has employed scales developed by Eysenck et al (1982) that measure neuroticism, extraversion, and psychoticism.…”

The second to fourth digit ratio in elite and non-elite female athletes

“…In studies of female mice, it has been shown that prenatal exposure to androgens may produce permanent changes toward more aggressive behavior in adulthood (Collaer and Hines, 1995;Mann and Svare, 1983;vom Saal 1979). Conversely, women involved in activities such as sports show a greater level of competitiveness and aggression (Cooper, 1969;Lenzi et al, 1997) Thus, there is a strong suspicion that females engaged in sports may have been exposed to high androgen levels in utero. The study that would prove such an association is almost impossible to conduct.…”

General Psychological Factors Affecting Physical Performance and Sports

“…From other research it is also clear that athletes is often more intelligent than average [10]. Additionally, Cooper in his research describes the athlete as being more self-confidence, competitive, and socially outgoing than the non-athlete [11]. Generally, athletes differ from nonathletes in many personality traits.…”