How do personality, attitudes and aggression shape sporting behaviour?
Theories of personality and personality profiling, the formation and change of attitudes, and the nature, theories and control of aggression in sport.
A focused WJEC A-Level PE answer on personality, attitudes and aggression, covering trait, social learning and interactionist theories, the triadic model of attitudes and how to change them, and the theories and control of aggression.
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What this dot point is asking
WJEC wants you to describe the theories of personality (trait, social learning and interactionist) and how personality is profiled, explain how attitudes form and can be changed, and explain the nature, theories and control of aggression in sport.
Theories of personality
The interactionist approach is generally preferred because it explains real sporting behaviour: a usually calm player may act aggressively in a heated match because a trait predisposition is triggered by the situation. Personality is profiled using questionnaires, observation and interviews, though each method has limitations of honesty and reliability.
Attitudes and changing them
Attitudes are learned from significant others, experiences and reinforcement. Two methods change them:
- Persuasive communication: a credible, expert communicator delivers a clear message to an open, receptive performer.
- Cognitive dissonance: creating discomfort by introducing new information that conflicts with an existing attitude, prompting the performer to change the attitude to remove the discomfort (for example, showing a reluctant player that fitness work improves their game).
Aggression in sport
The main theories of aggression are:
- Instinct theory: aggression is innate and builds up until released (catharsis), though this poorly explains learned, situational aggression.
- Frustration-aggression hypothesis: blocked goals cause frustration, which leads to aggression.
- Aggressive-cue hypothesis (Berkowitz): frustration creates a readiness for aggression that is only released if aggressive cues are present (an opponent, an object).
- Social learning theory: aggression is learned by observing and imitating others and being reinforced.
Aggression is controlled with cognitive strategies (mental rehearsal, self-talk, positive visualisation to manage arousal) and behavioural strategies (substitution to remove the player, reinforcing non-aggressive behaviour, punishing aggression, setting performance goals to reduce frustration, and using positive role models).
Examples in context
Example 1. Learned aggression from role models. A young player who repeatedly sees professionals reacting violently and going unpunished may imitate that behaviour, illustrating social learning theory. WJEC uses this to argue for positive role models and consistent punishment.
Example 2. Changing a negative attitude to training. A talented but unfit athlete who dislikes fitness work is shown data linking their fatigue to lost matches, creating cognitive dissonance that shifts their attitude. This shows attitude change applied in a coaching setting.
Try this
Q1. State the three components of the triadic model of attitudes. [3 marks]
- Cue. Cognitive (beliefs), affective (feelings), and behavioural (actions).
Q2. Explain the interactionist approach to personality with a sporting example. [3 marks]
- Cue. Behaviour results from innate traits interacting with the situation (); for example, a calm player behaves aggressively in a tense derby because a trait predisposition is triggered by the environment.
Q3. Explain the frustration-aggression hypothesis. [2 marks]
- Cue. When a performer's goal is blocked they become frustrated, and this frustration leads to aggressive behaviour.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC 20186 marksCompare the trait and social learning theories of personality, and explain why the interactionist approach is often preferred to explain behaviour in sport.Show worked answer →
Trait theory says personality is made of innate, stable and enduring characteristics that we are born with, so behaviour is consistent and predictable across all situations (for example, Eysenck's introvert-extrovert and stable-neurotic dimensions).
Social learning theory says personality and behaviour are learned from the environment by observing and imitating significant others and through reinforcement, so behaviour changes with the situation and the people around us.
The interactionist approach combines the two: behaviour results from the interaction of innate traits with the environment (often written B = f(P x E), behaviour is a function of personality and environment). It is preferred because it explains why a normally calm player might behave aggressively in a heated derby: a trait predisposition is triggered by the situation.
Markers reward a clear account of each theory, the interactionist combination, and a sporting example showing traits and situation interacting.
WJEC 20204 marksExplain what is meant by instrumental aggression and describe one method a coach could use to reduce a player's aggression.Show worked answer →
Instrumental aggression is aggressive behaviour intended to achieve a goal within the rules-related aim of the game, rather than purely to harm; the harm is a means to an end (for example, a hard but legal tackle to win the ball). It is distinguished from hostile aggression, where the main aim is to harm the opponent.
A coach can reduce aggression by, for example: removing the player from the situation (substitution) to lower arousal; using cognitive techniques such as mental rehearsal and self-talk to control arousal; setting performance rather than outcome goals to reduce frustration; reinforcing non-aggressive behaviour and punishing aggression; or highlighting positive role models.
Markers reward a correct definition of instrumental aggression (goal-directed, distinct from hostile) and one valid, explained control strategy.
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