Consideration on Psychological Traits of Collegiate Track and Field Athletes

Comparison depending on Disciplines and Competition Life

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to clarify both the psychological traits of athletes depending on the sporting event and the characteristics of their psychological development as shaped by competition life. Questionnaire surveys were distributed using TEG II, DIPCA.3 and S-H resilience tests for male long-distance runners and sprinters who belong to a university track and field club. A two-way analysis of variance was performed on the scores of the questionnaires based on the participants’ events (long-distance running or sprinting) and grades (1st to 4th years). According to the results of the analysis, the sprinters showed significantly higher scores than the long-distance runners in terms of patience, decision, judgment, and confidence in DIPCA.3. As for the S-H resilience test, the sprinters’ scores I were significantly higher than those of the long-distance runners. The long-distance runners’ scores II and IV were significantly higher than the sprinters’. In comparison by grade, the 4th year students’ TEG II A (adult) scores were significantly higher than the 2nd year students’. As for self-efficacy among resilience ability, the long-distance runners and sprinters showed different tendencies of the scores for each grade. The above analysis results were examined based on the characteristics of long-distance races and sprints and the environment surrounding these athletes.