Personality profiles at various levels of athletic participation

Various grades of athletes (265 male and 134 female) were administered the German version of the EPQ. The entire group was characterized by being more extraverted and less neurotic (compared to population norms); sex differences were exhibited, female profiles being higher on emotionality and lower on Psychoticism (tough-mindedness) with no significant difference being observed in mean Extraversion scores. When grouped in terms of ‘level of competitive involvement’, top-class male athletes were shown to be significantly more tough-minded and less stable than middle- or lower-class participants, an almost opposite trend being found in females, where top athletes were liable to be more extraverted, less neurotic and less aggressive and tough-minded than the other classes.