Personality traits and sporting level of athletes

Abstract

Background and Study Aim. Personality traits significantly influence athletic performance and the development of athletes. However, these traits vary at different levels of sport. This knowledge gap makes it difficult to effectively tailor training and support programs. Thus, the purpose of this article is to identify differences in the expression of personality traits among professional athletes, competitive athletes, and amateur athletes. Material and Methods. The respondents (N=83) were sport seniors from Poland, aged 23 years, studying at the Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences. They were classified into three groups: 1) n=23 professional athletes; 2) n=30 competitive athletes; and 3) n=30 amateur athletes. The Big Five model was used, and the NEO-FFI personality questionnaire was administered. Analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0, with a statistical significance level set at α = 0.05. Results. Differences in neuroticism intensity among athletes from different sport levels were noted. Professional athletes showed the lowest level of neuroticism. However, no differences were observed in the intensity of individual personality traits among athletes by gender. Furthermore, correlations were noted between sport level and athletes’ personality traits: neuroticism (strong and negative), extraversion (weak and positive), and conscientiousness (weak and positive). Conclusions. Findings underscore the importance of considering personality traits when developing tailored training and support programs for athletes. The absence of gender differences in personality traits suggests that such programs can be designed without gender-specific adjustments. The identified correlations between sport level and personality traits provide valuable insights for coaches and sport psychologists to better understand and support athletes' psychological profiles.