Differences in the Psychological Profiles of Elite and Non-elite Athletes.

One of the main goals of sport psychology is to identify those psychological factors that are relevant for sport performance as well as possibilities of their development. The aim of the study was to determine whether the set of specific psychological characteristics [generalized self-efficacy, time perspective, emotional intelligence (EI), general achievement motivation, and personality dimensions] makes the distinction between athletes based on their (non)-participation in the senior national team, that is, their belonging to the subsample of elite or non-elite athletes depending on this criterion. According to the group centroids it can be said that elite athletes are characterized by a positive high score in self-efficacy, emotionality, present fatalistic time perspective, past positive time perspective, and openness to experience. They are also characterized by low past negative time perspective, emotional competence, and future time perspective. Non-elite athletes have the opposite traits. The results have been discussed in the context of their application in the process of talent selection and development in sport as well as the development of life skills in athletes.

The Role of Personality in Prediction of Satisfaction With Life in Recreational Athletes During the First Wave of Pandemic Covid-19.

The aim of this research is to contribute to the understanding of the concept of satisfaction with life by determining the relationship between personality traits and the subjective experience of satisfaction with life in students-recreational athletes. This research is based on the biological theory of personality by Hans Eysenck and it attempts to offer explanations of a possible change in satisfaction with life in the period of great social deprivation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The sample of subjects consisted of 120 undergraduate students (N = 120) of all years and both sexes, 55 (45.8%) males and 65 (54.2%) females, at the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, the University of Nis. The average age of the subjects was 23.63 years (SD = 2.070). Eysenck's personality questionnaire (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, EPQ: Eysenck et al., 1885, adapted and translated by Sipka, 1985) was used for the operationalization of personality structure. The SWLS scale (Satisfaction With Life Scale, Diener et al., 1985) was used for estimating satisfaction with life. A significant regression model, which explains 11% of variance in the subjective experience of satisfaction with life in recreational athletes, was obtained. In the model, extraversion stands out as a significant predictor from the group of personality traits (ß = 0.279). Neuroticism (ß = -0.160) and psychoticism (ß = -0.122) did not prove to be significant predictors of satisfaction with life in the structural model regardless of there being a significant negative correlation between neuroticism and satisfaction with life. The more extraverted participants had a keener subjective sense of satisfaction with life.

Personality Traits and Self-Esteem in Combat and Team Sports.

The aim of this research was to examine whether psychological variables which make up basic dimensions of personality and self-esteem distinguish competitors in combat sports from competitors in team sports. The research included 149 respondents, aged 19 to 27 years. The Self-Esteem Scale questionnaire was used to measure self-esteem. The BFI inventory was used to measure personality traits according to the Big Five model: Extraversion, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness to Experience. The basic research question is - does the set of psychological variables which make up basic dimensions of personality and self-esteem statistically significantly distinguish competitors in combat sports from the competitors in team sports? Both mean differences and simple discriminant function analyses for competitors in combat/team sports revealed that self-esteem, neuroticism, and conscientiousness were the most important factors distinguishing the two groups. Practical implications, limitations, and future research directions were discussed.

Changing body structure components and motor skills in Military High School students within one year.

UNLABELLED: BACKGROUND/AIM. Proper growth and development ofadolescents in the morphological, functional and psychosocial aspects is the imperative of the educational process. The aim of this study was to determine the status and changes in the indicators of morphological characteristics, motor skills and lifestyle habits among the students of the Military High School in Belgrade. METHODS: The study included 217 students aged 15 to 18 years (from the first to the fourth grade). The two measurements performed at the intervals of one year were used to determine: the body structure by means of 10 variables and motor skills by 4 variables, while life habits were determined by 25 variables. RESULTS: The differences in the indicators of morphological characteristics were recorded in all the groups, being the highest in the first year of schooling. During the period of growing up, a reduction of fatty component in percentage values was found, as well as an increase of muscle mass. The progressive growth of motor skills in the first, second and the third grade was recorded in the manifestation of power, and endurance improved only in the first year. In terms of dietary habits, there was no difference among the groups. CONCLUSION: The obtained results indicate proper morphological and motor development and the formation of lifestyle habits. The data obtained will serve as a basis for health and functional prevention and upgrading in terms of improvement of the process of military education.