CORRELATION BETWEEN INDICATORS OF BALANCE OF NERVOUS PROCESSES WITH LOCALIZATION OF CONTROL IN HIGH SKILLED WOMEN HANDBALL PLAYERS

Abstract

Introduction. The problem of finding the psychological resource of the athlete remains relevant. Success in sports largely depends on the athlete’s individual psychological characteristics. Many authors, based on research, conclude that the internal locus of control has a positive effect on performance in team and non-team sports. It seems to be an interesting scientific problem to study the gender aspect of this problem. The purpose of the study: to establish a relation between the locus of control and the characteristics of the response to the moving object of elite women handball players. Materials and Methods: Athletes of the Ukrainian National women handball team (21 players aged 17 to 28, experience in this sport from 5 to 19 years) took part in the research. To study the locus of athletes' control over significant events, the method for the research of the level of subjective control (LSC) by J. Rotter was used. Software and hardware complex “BOS-test-Professional” for psychological and psychophysiological diagnostics was used to determine the characteristics of the athlete’s response to the moving object. Results: A study of internality found that the majority of skilled handball players (61.9%) have a general internal type of locus of control. The vast majority of athletes tend to take responsibility in the field of productive (sports) relations (81%), areas of achievement (71.4%) and failures (52.4%). However, in areas such as family relationships, health and illness, most athletes share responsibility with the social environment and feel unable to control external circumstances. A correlation has been identified between the internality of locus of control and the ratio of nervous processes (inhibition and excitation) in elite women handball players. Higher stability of athletes' responses to a moving object is associated with a more pronounced internal locus of control, but only in the field of family relations. The obtained data indicate a more optimal functional state of the athlete’s central nervous system with internal locus of control. Conclusions: Family relationships and health & illness are the most sensitive areas for female athletes. This fact provides a basis for gender mainstreaming in psychological support activities.

Keywords

• locus of control
• internality
• response to a moving object
• balance of nervous processes