Traditional vs. Extreme Athletes: An Exploration of Personality Indicators

Authors

Alyssa J. Reuter
Justin T. Holder

Faculty Sponsor

James M Gould

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to explore the personality indicators of traditional and extreme sport athletes. An online snowball sample of 149 athletes completed the 33-item questionnaire composed of personality indicators from the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scale. T-test results revealed that extreme athletes had higher Introversion, Perceiving, and Sensation Seeking scores than traditional athletes. Visual inspection of the correlation matrix of personality indicators revealed that the Myers Briggs type Perceiving was the most highly correlated variable with every factor of Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scale. Overall, the study revealed that extreme athletes perceive the external world differently than traditional athletes and that extreme athletes are more adept at being flexible, being spontaneous, and adapting to situations.

Recommended Citation

Reuter, Alyssa J. and Holder, Justin T. (2013) "Traditional vs. Extreme Athletes: An Exploration of Personality Indicators," Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado: Vol. 2: No. 3, Article 5.
Available at: https://digscholarship.unco.edu/urj/vol2/iss3/5