Locus of control in situations of successes and failures and personality traits in young athletes practicing team sports

Abstract

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to analyze locus of control in situations of successes and failures and personality traits in young people attending sport and non-sport classes. Based on a review of studies, it was presumed that young people who practice team sports have a higher internal locus of control, higher openness to experi-ence, higher conscientiousness, and higher emotional stability than their peers who do not practice sport.Participants and procedureYoung people who took part in the study were both those who attended schools with sport education programs and those who attended non-sport schools. 63 students of the sixth grade of primary school and the first grade of junior high school were surveyed (M = 12.60). Two groups were distinguished: students who followed an extended sports curriculum practicing football and basketball (n = 31), and those who followed a standard cur-riculum (n = 32). The Questionnaire for Locus of Control and the Picture Based Personality Survey for Children, based on the Big Five model, were used in the analyses.ResultsThe results of the studies partially confirmed the assumed hypotheses and showed connections between locus of control in situations of failure and openness to experience in the group of athletes.ConclusionsThis study constitutes a summary of the first stage of a three-year longitudinal project. Conclusions from the study will allow characterization of developmental changes of locus of control and personality traits in young athletes. Assessment of personality profile constitutes help for sport psychology practitioners in preparing train-ing that uses accurate reinforcement systems corresponding with the traits of players that are members of a team.