Personality Speaking

This chapter explores ‘who’ this unique athlete is and what are they bringing to the communication, coaching and competition mix. The Cybernetic Big 5 Theory sheds light on how personality traits are mechanisms through which athletes use feedback to adjust their behaviours while in the pursuit of goals. The polar opposites of each trait—openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism—and how they may present to coaches are explored in depth. Together with the meta-traits of plasticity and stability, they are key to high performance. Beyond the Big 5, perfectionism and narcissism can have a significant impact on performance. Spotting and managing the pros and cons of Dark Triad traits (narcissism, machiavellianism and psychopathy) can assist in risk management strategies. Personality trait-like individual differences delve deeper into what makes each athlete unique. The competition persona of the Great British Medallists is explored—what is the make-up of a recurrent champion? Revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory is linked to the expression of mental toughness and how to develop the counterphobic responses often exhibited by champion athletes. The chapter concludes with an exploration of mental toughness in ultramarathon runners: how they persevere and overcome adversity.