نوع مقاله : مطالعه پژوهشی اصیل
نویسندگان
1 کارشناس ارشد روانشناسی ورزشی، اداره آموزش و پرورش، اردبیل، ایران
2 گروه تربیتبدنی، واحد سراب، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، سراب، ایران
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
Background and Purpose
In the world of sports, in addition to physical and tactical preparation, psychological and personality characteristics are considered influencing factors on the optimal performance of athletes. Athletes at different skill and readiness levels exhibit varying personality traits, and the difference between successful and unsuccessful athletes may lie in these traits. For this reason, many personality theorists have sought to predict individuals' success and behavior by understanding their personality traits. Self-differentiation is a psychological construct that provides the necessary foundation for social-relational adjustment. Differentiation involves an intrapersonal capacity to differentiate between thoughts and feelings, as well as an interpersonal ability to maintain independence within deep relationships with significant people in life.
On the other hand, based on the theory of sensitivity to reinforcement (RST), many observed individual differences in personality and psychological characteristics originate from two major and minor brain systems (BIS and BAS). The activity and predominance of each of these systems in a person lead to different emotional states, coping methods, actions, and reactions. The results of psychological and neurophysiological studies have shown that regular exercise plays an essential role in improving brain and cognitive performance, and the reactions shown by athletes contain important information about the psychological processes in the brain. Therefore, considering the principle of individual differences in psychological categories and the orientation of reinforcement theory in explaining these differences in brain structures, and the lack of studies in this field, it is necessary to carry out research for a better understanding of the issue. The aim of this study was to compare brain-behavioral systems and self-differentiation between female students who are athletes and non-athletes.
Material and Methods
This research falls within the category of applied research and is a causal-comparative study. The statistical population consisted of all female high school students in Ardabil (N=7477). The criterion for selecting student-athletes was having at least a provincial-level title and three years of regular sports activity with at least three training sessions per week. All eligible student-athletes (n=100) who met the necessary criteria and 100 non-athlete students were randomly selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method and assigned to two groups. To gather data, the standardized self-differentiation questionnaire by Skoron and Fridlander (1998) and Carver and White's (1994) behavioral inhibition system/behavioral activation system scale were used. The self-differentiation questionnaire consists of 46 questions and four subscales: emotional reactivity, I-position, emotional cutoff, and fusion with others. The behavioral inhibition system/behavioral activation system questionnaire has 24 questions and includes two subscales: behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and behavioral activation system (BAS). The response scale of both questionnaires was Likert type. The validity of the questionnaires was evaluated and confirmed using the opinions of some sports experts. In the present study, Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the self-differentiation questionnaire was 0.78. For the subscales of emotional reactivity, it was 0.73, 0.75, 0.75, and 0.80, respectively. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the behavioral activation system and behavioral inhibition system were 0.77 and 0.76, respectively, indicating high internal consistency of the questionnaire items. Based on the results of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and due to the normal distribution of the data and the fulfillment of some necessary assumptions, the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test was used to analyze the data.
Results
In Table 1, the results of the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicate a significant difference between the behavioral activation system and self-differentiation in the two groups. In other words, the mean scores for behavioral activation and self-differentiation were higher in the female athlete group compared to the non-athlete group. The biggest difference between the two groups was related to self-differentiation.
Discussion
The results show a significant difference between the behavioral activation system and self-differentiation in the two groups. Engaging in sports activities and participating in sports as a social activity can alter individuals' functional differentiation, leading to improved interpersonal relationships and individuals achieving a more independent and accurate individual identity. This individual independence becomes a lifestyle for athletes, resulting in increased individual differentiation and less fusion and emotional avoidance when facing problems. Overall, sports activities promote a positive outlook and increase individuals' focus on their existential aspects, leading to greater differentiation in athletes compared to non-athletes.
Furthermore, results from psychological and neurophysiological studies suggest that regular exercise significantly improves brain and cognitive function. To achieve optimal performance, individuals need a high activation system and a low inhibition system. It is possible that brain systems are influenced by physical activity and regular exercise, with the activation system becoming dominant in athletes due to repeated sports activities. Another possibility is that brain systems are genetically inherited, leading individuals with a dominant activation system to have a greater inclination towards physical activity and sports. Further research is needed to clarify these possibilities. In conclusion, it appears that the brain and behavioral systems, as well as the degree of differentiation, are linked to the level of sports participation. Understanding these concepts can be valuable components in the psychological and sports performance analysis of individuals.
FundingThe present study received no financial support from any institution or organization.
Authors' contributions
First author: Data collection and data analysis; First and Second author: conceptualization and presentation of the idea, authorship of the introduction, discussion and methodology, writing and revision of the article.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
We sincerely thank and appreciate all the students who cooperated in the present research.
کلیدواژهها [English]
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13816-3
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