Frontiers in Psychology (Oct 2019)

Personality Traits and Self-Esteem in Combat and Team Sports

  • Željka Bojanić,
  • Jasmina Nedeljković,
  • Dušana Šakan,
  • Petar M. Mitić,
  • Ivana Milovanović,
  • Patrik Drid

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02280
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10

Abstract

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The aim of this research was to examine whether psychological variables which make up basic dimensions of personality and self-esteem distinguish competitors in combat sports from competitors in team sports. The research included 149 respondents, aged 19 to 27 years. The Self-Esteem Scale questionnaire was used to measure self-esteem. The BFI inventory was used to measure personality traits according to the Big Five model: Extraversion, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness to Experience. The basic research question is – does the set of psychological variables which make up basic dimensions of personality and self-esteem statistically significantly distinguish competitors in combat sports from the competitors in team sports? Both mean differences and simple discriminant function analyses for competitors in combat/team sports revealed that self-esteem, neuroticism, and conscientiousness were the most important factors distinguishing the two groups. Practical implications, limitations, and future research directions were discussed.

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