Self Esteem in Athletes Compared to Non-Athletes The correlation of playing competitive sports at college level and self esteem are measured. Subjects were given the Barksdale self esteem questionnaire to fill out and levels of self esteem are measured by scores out of one hundred. The subjects are then separated into categories determined by gender and whether they played sports at the college level. The results indicated that the elite athletes have a higher self esteem than non athletes. The survey also revealed that women have a slightly higher self esteem than men. These findings agree with our hypothesis that athletes will have a higher level of self esteem than non athletes will. Self esteem is defined as "the esteem or good opinion of ones self; Vanity"( Patterson p.201). It is Defined by The New Websters Dictionary as " ones evaluation of one's worth as a person based on an assessment of the qualities that make up the self-concept" ( Shaffer G-9). Every one has known someone with fantastically high self esteem and someone with extremely low self esteem. It always seems to be the football captain or head cheer leader with high self esteem and the geeky computer nerd with the low self esteem. This research has set out to prove or disprove this theory. This paper will discuss in detail the method used to collect the information, the results, and the summary and conclusions of the research. It is our hypothesis that athlete's will score higher on the questionnaire than non-athlete's. Self esteem, as stated earlier, is a very popular term which seems to be studied a lot. In reviewing many journal articles on the topic it was found that, indeed their was a lot of research on self esteem but not ... ... middle of paper ... ...ores were both in the range that would be considered less than good self esteem. This is due to the evaluation, it was not clear on its instructions as to how the questions should be properly answered. The most important thing learned from this study is that you must be careful in choosing how you gather your data. Minor mistakes can cause grave differences in your end results. References Patterson, R.F.(1993). New Webster's Dictionary. Miami: P.S.I & Associates, Inc. Shaffer, D.R.(1999). Developmental Psychology: Childhood & Adolescence. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. Sternberg, R.(Ed.).(1994). Encyclopaedia of human intelligence. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. Taylor, D.L.(1996). A comparison of college athletic participants and non-participants on self esteem. Journal of College Student Development, 36, 444-451
Grigsby, Channing. “A Course in Self-Esteem: 5. Sources of Low Self-Esteem.” Online Posting. 17 July 2001 <http://www.getnewvisions.com/se/05crse_sources.html>.
One study suggested that the worry of potentially confirming the “dumb jock” stereotype might be to blame for any performance gap between student athletes and non-student athletes (Moltz, 2009). Teachers and professors are directly linked to the athletes academic success, and negative perceptions of student athletes in the classroom is a paramount matter because they are exposing them to the stigma attached to athletic participation. This is problematic because when the students are made aware of this bias their academic performance declines because they feel more anxious and pressured as to not confirming the dumb jock stigma, a phenomenon known as stereotype threat. Some studies even show that these stereotyped groups actually perform better than
It has been shown that athletes in high school may be more motivated by ego-orientated goal achievement (Ashnel, 2012). Adolescents often begin to form their identities by comparing themselves with others. As the individual matures (and confidence begins to stabilize) his or her motivation may be more intrinsic (Larsen and Engell. 2013). At that point, athletic performance may be more motivated by internal rewards systems (cognitive evaluation). College age athletes may also be on the cusp of professional status, in which case they may not want to blame themselves for poor performance (in order to maintain a solid internal locus of control) and therefore focus on external attributions for wins or losses.
Many studies have been conducted on the importance of self-esteem in children and young adults...
Bimper, Harrison and Clark (2013) conducted a study to advance the understanding of the unique experiences of Black male student collegiate athletes in high-profile sport by examining a case of both academically and athletically successful Black male student athletes at PWIs. The athletes have said that it is automatically assumed that they
Participation in sports has proven to increase self-discipline and self-esteem, and can teach athletes to learn from their mistakes and move on (Issitt). Athletes playing team sports also develop the ability to work well with others and use teamwork in their everyday lives. Teammates form relationships that are strengthened over a common passion and goal. These relationships can last long after high school is over (Chen). These social skills translate into better communication used with an athlete’s family, peers, and in the community. Likewise, “A 2006 study in Maryland found that student athletes are 15 percent more likely than non athletes to be involved in their communities and to take the time for civic engagements, including participating in voting and volunteer activities” (Issitt). The same study also concluded that athletes are far more likely to be comfortable with public speaking than non-athletes. This study provides concrete evidence that high school sports can help to gain mental and social skills that will be used later in life
Recent discussion over competitive sports has sparked reexamination of competition’s effects on the development of professional athletes. Proponents of competitive sports cite various benefits including improved “fitness” and “health”, along with the acquisition of a finer “sense of self through increased perceived competence, self-esteem, and self-confidence” (Gatz, Messner, Ball-Rokeach 31). How does this occur? Competition acts like a ladder, forcing an ever changing “rung on a ladder” that participants must reach to obtain victory. The possibilities of this “rung on a ladder” can range from shooting technique and quickness to strength and flexibility. A prime example of competition’s positive ef...
Many kids are shy in class and are afraid to talk to other students. Sports lets them talk about similar interests and can help them make friends. “It’s every high-school kid’s dream to be the quarterback of their school’s football team, and to get the friends and popularity that the position entails. But a new study proves that those popular kids actually do have way more friends” (Carson). In addition to this claim, youth sports can raise your self esteem by making new friends. The Women's Sports Foundation says “80% less high school girls are likely to get pregnant” Basically, female athletes are less likely to engage in risky
It has been known a proven fact that participation in high school sports encourages better moods, self-esteem, and a higher level of academic achievement. This has been proven through various studies, one of them being a study done in New York. In 2006, the Carnegie Corporation of New York discovered that students benefited from participating in high school sports. An improvement in grades, confidence, and personal health and welfare were appreciably noted in ...
Vickers and A. Mark Williams; Liebert & Morris, 1967: Martens et al., 1990, Taylor (p. 144) as a mental component when athletes become anxious they begin to think negatively about their current and future performances) and self-confidence. Somatic anxiety was a key component when assessing the true effects that it has on an athlete’s performance (Brustad & Wiggins, 1996). Brustad and Wiggins (1996) tested their theory on a group of 91 athletes. The athletes were between the ages of 14 to 36 years old that participated in a variety of sports: soccer, swimming, and track and field. Those who scored higher on self-confidence and scored lower in CA and SA found perceived their overall anxiety as facilitative (Wiggins & Brustad, 1996). Kirby and Liu (1999) found that athletes who participate in individual sports, such as track and field, have a lower self-confidence and higher levels of SA than those athletes who partake in team sports such as basketball and volleyball. The same holds true for figure skaters. The skaters experienced a substantial amount of CA and SA before their individual competitions in contrast to a team competition. The responsibility that was placed on the athletes in a team sport differed than the responsibility that an individual sport athlete may have (Martin & Halls,
Self-confidence is made up of two main components, self-efficacy and self-esteem. Self-efficacy is defined as the levels of confidence individuals have in their ability to execute courses of action or attain specific performance outcomes (Bandura 1997). Self-esteem is a term used to reflect a person’s own evaluation or appraisal of their own worth (Baumeister, 1993) It is believed that these aspects are important in deepening our understanding of sporting performance it is also believed that these two main aspects of self-confidence are vital in achieving a high level of sporting performance. Psychologists such as Bandura and Vealey have proposed
This study’s focus on self-esteem’s influence on academic success is directly related to the current study because the implication of this study completed by C. Brown et al. is that the relationship between self-esteem and academic success is not significant. The current study will define self-esteem using different measures from the self-esteem assessment created by Rosenberg (1965) which was used by C. Brown et al. However, this study will use the same construct to measure academic success, which is the current GPA of the college student. The constructs measured in the current study will focus only on the correlation between self-esteem and academic success in an effort to see if a relationship exists within the current sample of students. The hypothesis for this study is that there is a positive correlation between the self-esteem of a college student and his or her academic
Ryska, Todd A. "Sportsmanship in Young Athletes: The Role of Competitiveness, Motivational Orientation, and Perceived Purposes of Sport." The Journal of psychology 137.3 (2003): 273-93. ProQuest. Web. 2 Nov. 2013.
Over the years, several definitions of self-esteem have been proposed (Swann, Chang-Schneider, & McClarty, 2007); however, overall, there is an agreement that self-esteem refers to the process of how self is appraised in relationship to competency in different domains of life functioning (Neff & Vonk, 2009). According to Harter (2012), self-esteem is the subjective evaluation of self worth. In chapter five, Harter reviews a significant amount of research, and highlights the consistent findings that self-esteem is particularly highly correlated with perceived physical appearance. Comparing other domains of self-concept and their relationship to self-esteem, Harter and colleagues discovered that in comparison to perceived physical appearance,
Participating in a team sport can increase one’s self esteem. By being part of a team, you will give and receive praise. Receiving recognition from a team mate or a coach will boost your self esteem because you have been acknowledged for your efforts. As you are praised for your efforts, you will become more confident, thus improving your self esteem. Often times, the bond formed between team mates on the field translates into a friendship off the field. As team mates come to depend on each other and know that they are depended on, their level of commitment or responsibility to the game and skills needed for the game increases.