Survey the relationship between big five factor, happiness and sport achievement in Iranian athletes

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1 Available online at Annals of Biological Research, 01, 3 (1): ( ISSN CODEN (USA): ABRNBW Survey the relationship between big five factor, happiness and sport achievement in Iranian athletes Davod Ghaderi 1 and Mohammad Ghaderi 1Department of Psychology, Sarab branch, Islamic Azad University, Sarab, Iran Department of Physical Education, Mahabad branch, Islamic Azad University, Mahabad, Iran _ ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to Survey the relationship between big five factor, happiness and sport achievement in Iranian athletes. In order to 7 athletics (Consist of 1 national tem athletes, 5 professional athletes and 6 non- professional athletes) who were selected using a access sampling, were assessed using Big Five Factor Inventory (FFI) (Costa & McCrae, 199), Happiness Scale (Argyle, 001) and Sport Achievement (Duda, & Nichols, 199). The results were analyzed by Pearson correlation quotient, regression and, ANOVA test. Results showed that in compare with non- professional athletes the amount of neuroticism was significantly less that national tem and professional athletics (P<1%), The amount of extraversion, happiness and openness was significantly further that national tem athletics in compare with other groups (P<1%), also results showed that the amount of agreeableness and conscientiousness was significantly further that national tem athletes in compare with other groups (P<1%). Results showed that in national tem athletics and professional athletes were negative and significant correlation between sport achievement with neuroticism (P<5%), also positive and significant correlation between extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness and happiness with sport achievement (P<1%). The analyses data by regression showed that in national tem athletes and professional athletics, sport achievement predicted by agreeableness and conscientiousness. Most research in the field of these variables can represent brighter data. Ker Words: Big five factor, Happiness, Sport achievement, Athletes. _ INTRODUCTION To understand the psychology of athletes, researchers have asked whether they differ in personality from non-athletes and whether athletes vary among different sports. There has been a large volume of research into the relationship between personality traits, as measured by the EPI/EPQ, the 16PF and the NEO-PI, and sporting behavior. Attempts have been made to distinguish athletes from non-athletes and successful performers from less successful performers. Sport psychologists have also looked at whether personality factors are associated with choice of sport. 308

2 Davod Ghaderi et al Annals of Biological Research, 01, 3 (1): Numerous attempts have been made to find out whether there is a fundamental difference between the personalities of athletes and nonathletes. Eysenck (198) proposed that people scoring high on the extroversion and psychoticism scales of the EPQ are more likely to take up sport. Some though by no means all research has supported this hypothesis [1]. Schurr et al (1977) tested 1500 American students with the 16PF, relating this to participation in sport, choice of sport and level of success []. They found that athletes (defined as those in university teams) differed from non-athletes on three scales of the 16PF, being more independent and objective, and less anxious than the non-athletes. More recently, Francis et al (1998), using the EPQ, compared the personality of 133 Irish female students who participated in university hockey clubs with a control group of female students with no formal involvement in sport [3]. In another study of 86 undergraduate athletes and a matched group of 86 non-athletes, McKelvie et al (003) found no differences in extraversion between athletes and non-athletes, although athletes scored significantly lower in neuroticism; that is, they were more emotionally stable [4]. Other studies have confirmed this relationship between neuroticism and sporting participation [5]. An interesting question is raised by research into the relationship between sporting participation and personality traits. Do people of a particular type seek out sport (this is known as the gravitation hypothesis), or does taking part in sport affect personality? Some early experiments [6] suggested that neuroticism can be reduced by taking part in sport. However, studies also show that extraversion and neuroticism tend to be highly stable over time [4]. This supports the gravitation hypothesis. An early attempt to use the idea of personality traits to identify successful athletes was that by Tutko and Ogilvie (1966)[7]. They proposed that successful people score highly on 11 personality traits: aggression, coachability, conscientiousness, determination, drive, emotional control, guilt proneness, leadership, mental toughness, selfconfidence and trust. Tutko & Ogilvie produced a personality test called the Athletic Motivation Inventory (AMI) to measure these traits. Most sport psychologists agree that the AMI was seriously flawed, and contemporary research does not support the idea that the AMI can distinguish between successful and unsuccessful athletes. Studies using superior personality tests have found some evidence that aspects of personality are associated with athletic success. Garland & Barry (1990) placed American college athletes in categories 0 representing their level of skill. They were then tested with the 16PF [8]. The statistical relationship between their athletic success and the personality factors measured by the 16PF was calculated. It emerged that tough-mindedness, extroversion, group dependence and emotional stability accounted for 9% of the variance in skill. This shows that although personality may have been one important factor in success, there were other, probably more important factors. Although the five-factor model of personality has been underutilized in sport psychology, one influential study using the NEO-PI has helped illuminate the relationship between success and personality. Piedmont et al (1999) administered the NEO-PI to 79 female footballers [9]. The skill of the players was assessed by coaches and by game statistics (goals scored, possession, tackles won, etc.). Interestingly, extraversion and neuroticism were strongly correlated with coaches ratings, but not with performance as judged objectively by game statistics. This suggests that either coaches ratings or game statistics were invalid measures of performance. The only trait associated with objective performance was conscientiousness, high levels being associated with good performance. Personality and sport has proved a rather more fruitful area of study, and some important differences between the personalities of successful athletes in different sports have emerged. This is perhaps unsurprising when we consider the varying demands of different sports. In the Schurr et al (1977) study, although relatively few differences emerged between athletes and non-athletes, considerable differences were found between team and individual players [3]. Team players emerged as more anxious and extrovert than individual competitors. Another important distinction has emerged between the personalities of those taking part in high- and low-risk sports. Breivik (1996) administered the 16PF to 38 elite Norwegian 309

3 Davod Ghaderi et al Annals of Biological Research, 01, 3 (1): climbers and found a distinctive profile characterised by very high levels of stability, extraversion and adventure seeking [10]. In another study, Freixanet (1999) administrated the EPQ to a range of high-risk sports participants, including 7 mountaineers, and a control group of low-risk athletes. The mountaineers and other high-risk athletes were characterised by significantly higher levels of extraversion and low levels of neuroticism [11]. Other high-risk sports have also attracted attention. Using the NEO-PI, Diehm & Armatas (004) compared the personality of 44 golfers (low-risk) and 41 surfers (high-risk) [1]. Surfers emerged as significantly higher on the openness scale, meaning that they were more open to new experiences. In this research, Big Five Factor Inventory (FFI) (Costa & McCrae, 199)[13], Happiness Scale (Argyle, 001)[14] and Sport Achievement (Duda, & Nichols, 199)[15] were used to survey the relationship between big five factor, happiness and sport achievement in Iranian athletes, the instance which previously has been studied less, especially, happiness and sport achievement inventory in Iranian athletes. An additional goal of the present study was to examine the role of nation / professional athletes with non-professional differences in these hypothesized relationships. MATEREALS AND METHODS Sample The sample which is comprised of 7 (76 nation team athletes, 5 professional athletes and 6 non- professional athletes) athletes of west Azerbaijan in Iran, were selected through access sampling. The average age was 8 years and 11 months with a standard deviation of Measures NEO-FFI: The NEO-FFI is a 60-item inventory. It is one of the most widely used questionnaires for measuring the Big Five personality factors (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness). Participants in our study rated the 60 behavior-descriptive statements on 5-point Likert-type scales, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), indicating the degree to which they thought the items were characteristic of them. Oxford Happiness Inventory: The Oxford Happiness Inventory is a 9-item questionnaire, based on a four-choice format, measuring trait happiness [14]. High scores indicate high state happiness. It has an internal reliability Cronbach s alpha of 0.90 and a test-retest reliability of Some of the items are almost identical to the Beck Depression Inventory but reversed on content, and it has subcategories of personal achievement, enjoyment and fun in life, and vigour and good health. It has a reported validity of 0.43 with friends ratings of happiness [14]. It also correlates with positive effect, life satisfaction, and depression at r = The PsycLIT database indicates that over a dozen studies used it as a trait measure of happiness over the past decade [14]. Sport Achievement: The Sport Achievement Inventory is a 18-item questionnaire based on 5- point Likert-type scales, ranging from 1 to 5 [15]. High scores indicate high sport achievment. It has an internal reliability Cronbach s alpha of 0.98 and a test-retest reliability of RESULTS The mean, standard deviation, range total five factor model, happiness and sport achievement score for all groups was present in Table

4 Davod Ghaderi et al Annals of Biological Research, 01, 3 (1): TABLE 1: Descriptive statistics for the five factor model, happiness and sport achievement in all athletes Variables M S.D Range NEO-FFI Neuroticism(N) 1/13 5/ Extraversion(E) /6 5/ Openness(O) 3/0 6/ Agreeableness(A) 4/0 6/ Conscientiousness(C) 5/9 6/ Happiness 8/97 9/ Sport Achievement 4/13 11/ Correlation between five factor model, happiness and sport achievement in nation team and professional athletes are demonstrated in Table. TABLE : Correlation between five factor model and happiness with sport achievement in nation team and professional athletes Variables Happiness A C E O N Sport Achievement 0.707** 0.855** 0.855** 0.837** 0.879** -0.91* Sig P 0.05*, P 0.01** Sport achievement scores were positively correlated with agreeableness (A), conscientiousness(c), openness (O), extraversion (E), and negatively correlated with neuroticism (N) in nation team and professional athletes. To allow for clearer conclusions about differences between nation team, professional and nonprofessional athletes in variables, ANOVA test (with alpha set at 0.001) were used to compare the samples (see Table 3). Table 3: ANOVA test for the compare samples Variables df F Sig. Neuroticism(N) 69 19/ Extraversion(E) 69 58/ Openness(O) 69 76/7.000 Agreeableness(A) 69 31/4.000 Conscientiousness(C) 69 43/ Happiness / Results showed that in compare with non- professional athletes the amount of neuroticism was significantly less that national tem and professional athletics (P<1%), The amount of extraversion, happiness and openness was significantly further that national tem athletics in 311

5 Davod Ghaderi et al Annals of Biological Research, 01, 3 (1): compare with other groups (P<1%), also results showed that the amount of agreeableness and conscientiousness was significantly further that national tem athletes in compare with other groups (P<1%). DISCUSSION The aim of this study was to survey the relationship between big five factor, happiness and sport achievement in Iranian athletes. In consistent with previous research [4, 5, 6] results showed that in compare with non- professional athletes the amount of neuroticism was significantly less that national tem and professional athletics. In consistent with previous research [1, 4, 9] the amount of extraversion, and openness was significantly further that national tem athletics in compare with other groups, also results showed that the amount of agreeableness, conscientiousness and happiness was significantly further that national tem athletes in compare with other groups. Results In consistent with previous research [4, 5, 6] showed that in national tem athletics and professional athletes were negative and significant correlation between sport achievement with neuroticism, also positive and significant correlation between extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness and happiness with sport achievement. Most research in the field of these variables can represent brighter data. REFERENCES [1]H.J. Eysenck, D.K.B. Nias & D.N. Cox. Advances in Behavioural Research and Therapy;198, 4, []K.T. Schurr, M.A. Ashley & K.L. Joy. Multivariate Experimental Clinical Research; 1977, 3, [3]L.J. Francis, P. Kelly & S.J. Irish Journal of Psychology; 1998, 19, [4]S. McKelvie, P. Lemieux & D. Stout. Extraversion and neuroticism in contact athletes, no contact athletes and nonathletes: a research note. Athletic Insight 5, np (update), 003. [5]L. Sevcikova, S. Ruzanza & M. Sablova. Homeostasis in Health and Disease; 000, 40, [6]B. Ledwidge. dian Journal of Behavioural Science; 1980, 1, [7]T.A. Tutko & B.C. Ogilvie. Athletic motivation inventory. San Jose, CA, Institute for the Study of Athletic Motivation, [8]D.J. Garland & J.R. Barry. Journal of Research in Personality; 1990, 4, [9]R.L. Piedmont, D.C. Hill & S. Blanco. Personality and Individual Differences; 1999, 7, [10]G. Breivik. International Journal of Sports Psychology; 1996, 7, [11] M.G.I. Freixanet. Human Performance in Extreme Environments; 1999, 4, [1] R. Diehm & C. Armatas. Personality and Individual Differences; 004, 36, [13] P. T Costa and R. R. McCrae. Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) Professional Manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, 199. [14] M. Argyle. The Psychology of Happiness. London: Rutledge, 001. [15] J. L. Duda, & J. G. Nichols. Journal of Educational Psychology; 199, 84: