DIFFERENCES IN PERSONALITY FEATURES AND ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION IN CHILD ATHLETES AND NON-ATHLETES

Research results show that athletes and non-athletes differ according to the degree of the incidence of certain personality features. The testing of potential differences in the personality and motivation in children and young athletes can offer useful guidelines for stimulating the development of desired features. The aim of this research was to establish whether there are differences in some personality features and achievement motivation in children involved in football and children non-athletes. Some 56 boys were tested, 12-13 years of age, young football players from the Partizan club, and boys not involved in sports. Cattell’s HSPQ form A questionnaire was applied, as well as the MSP questionnaire for testing sports achievement motivation. A t-test for independent samples was used to process the data. The results showed that children involved in sports were emotionally more stable and mature, with a better self-control of their emotions and behavior, as well as being more self-assured, more responsible, amenable, relaxed, and more motivated to attain achievements and to cope with achievement. Differences were established on the HSPQ-C, HSPQ-G, HSPQ-H, HSPQ-O, HSPQ-Q3, HSPQ-Q4, MSP-P, MSP-F+ and MSP-F-dimensions. With an adequate pedagogical-psychological approach and in a sports context, it is possible to advance the sports affirmation of talented children, as well as to stimulate the conveying of desired personality features and motivation into other areas of life.