Aggression and Personality Profiles of Athletes in Team and Individual Sports: A Comparative Analysis
Abstract
Psychological characteristics such as aggression and personality are integral to athletic performance and behaviour, yet limited empirical evidence exists comparing these traits between team and individual sport athletes. The present study aimed to comparatively examine differences in aggression and selected personality traits between athletes participating in team sports (handball and football) and individual sports (gymnastics and swimming) and to assess the association between sport type and psychological characteristics. A total of 200 athletes (112 males and 88 females) aged between 20 and 25 years participated in the study, with equal representation from team and individual sports (n = 100 each). Aggression was assessed using the Sport Aggression Inventory and personality traits were measured using the Specific Sports Personality Test. Data were collected under standardized conditions and independent samples t-tests were applied to compare psychological variables between sport types. Team sport athletes demonstrated significantly higher scores for sociability (t(198) = 2.56, p = .011), extraversion (t(198) = 3.17, p = .002), conventionality (t(198) = 2.40, p = .017) and aggression (t(198) = 5.83, p < .001) than individual sport athletes. No statistically significant differences were observed for dominance (p = .161), self-concept (p = .211), mental toughness (p = .130), or emotional stability (p = .212). The findings indicate that team and individual sport athletes differ in selected psychological characteristics, particularly sociability, extraversion, conventionality and aggression. These associations should be interpreted within the broader context of athletes’ training and competitive environments rather than being attributed solely to sport type.
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