Personality factors and some physiological correlates in athletes

In the course of an ongoing study to evaluate cardiac and left ventricular performance in athletes, personality data using the Cattell 16PF questionnaire was also collected for rowers, canoeists, judo players, archers and cross-country runners. Personality differences between these groups have been found. Cross-country runners had a very low score on factor F; this indicates taciturn, cautious, deliberate individuals, suited to monotonous and repetitive situations. With rowers, they also had the highest Q 3 scores, indicative of self-discipline and compulsive tendencies. On both those personality dimensions, cross-country runners contrasted significantly with judo players. These had the highest F score—impulsive, quick and alert, and the lowest Q 3 score—less self-controlled and disciplined. Judo players were also the most assertive in contrast to the archers who were least so. Personality factors were correlated with physiological data from resting and exercise conditions. Anxiety gave an unexpected negative correlation with heart rate and systolic blood pressure for rest, but was not associated with physiology in exercise. Factor N, however, gave a similar pattern of correlation, in both conditions, with left ventricular performance—the more natural, unpretentious and less shrewd the athlete, the higher his left ventricular volumes and the better his physiological performance.