Neuroticism, Extraversion and Participation in Physical Activities: An Appraisal of Gravitational Model

Since the decade of 1970, has been performed many efforts to understand the major determinants of individual's participation in physical and athletic activities. The one of these efforts, was to understanding of this point that is the individuals participation in athletic activities results of pre-existing personality differences among them or personality differences are shaping in process of athletic participation? The aim of this study was to determine the difference between athletes and non-athletes concerning to neuroticism and extraversion in framework of gravitational model. This study was conducted with an ex-post facto research design. One hundred and twenty four athletes (69 men and 55 women) and one hundred and sixteen non-athletes (51 men and 65 women) that entering newly in body-building clubs composed the study sample. These respondents then responded to The Big Five Inventory (BFI). The results showed significant difference among athletes and non-athletes in regard to Neuroticism (P<0.01) and Extraversion (P<0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that socio-demographic variables (model 1) explained for %18.9 of the variance in participation in Physical and Athletic Activities. In second model, Neuroticism and extraversion variables, refined for %7.9 of variance in participation of Physical and Athletic Activities. The results of current study, have been approved the validity of gravitational model which emphasized on importance of pre-existing personality differences such as neuroticism and extraversion regarding to athletic participation. Moreover, considering to importance of neuroticism and extraversion, results of this study can be used about behavioral interventions in style enforcement of extraversion and debilitation of neuroticism to reinforce the individual's attitude toward participation in physical and athletic Activities.