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A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF COMPETITION UPON THE PERSONALITY ADJUSTMENT OF HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS APPROVED: » ' / CUr:-4~V\J Major Professor or Pfofessor ••r- Director of the Department oy Health, Physical Education and Recreation Dean of the Graduate School A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF COMPETITION UPON THE PERSONALITY ADJUSTMENT OF HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS THESIS Presented to the Graduate Council of the North Texas State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE By Theresa Walterscheid, B. S, Denton, Texas TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES iv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS v Chapter I. INTRODUCTION . 1 Statement of the Problem Definition of Terms Purpose of the Study Limitations of the Study- Sources of Data II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 9 III. PROCEDURES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STUDY . 18 Preliminary Procedures Selection of the Test Description of the Test Selection of Subjects General Procedures in Test Administration Treatment of Data IV. ' FINDINGS 25 Discussion of the Findings V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS . 40 APPENDIX 44 BIBLIOGRAPHY 52 ill LIST OF TABLES Table Page I. Comparison of Scores from the Basketball Group with Mean Standard Scores of the California Psychological Inventory .... 26 II. Comparison of Scores from the Debate Group with Mean Standard Score of the California Psychological Inventory 28 III. Comparison of Scores from the Drill Team Group with Mean Standard Score of the California Psychological Inventory 30 IV. Comparison of Scores from the Band Group with Mean Standard Score of the California Psychological Inventory 32 V. Comparison of Scores from the Control Group with Mean Standard Score of the California Psychological Inventory 34 IV LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Personality Profile of Basketball Group 46 2. Personality Profile of Debate Group 47 3. Personality Profile of Drill Team Group 48 4. Personality Profile of Band Group 49 5. Personality Profile of Control Group 50 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION American society may be characterized today by compe- tition which is present in all phases of a person's life. The individual reacts to numerous situations with compe- titive rather than cooperative behavior. Whether this is good or bad, it must be accepted that competition is a factor that is a part of social relationships and it has an effect on every individual. There are varied opinions on the concept of competition and how the competitive impulse develops within'the person. Competition may seem to consist of several and varied charac- teristics of behavior independent of each other, or it may be considered to be a complete personality trait within itself. The desire to compete or excel may be considered a human trait which develops along an orderly course, or the desire to excel and compete may be related to or determined by the activity in which the person is participating (2, p. 148). It is generally believed that competition is learned, that it is not an inborn tendency (4, p. 578). Humans learn competitive behavior at an earlier age than they learn to cooperate or work toward a group goal (1, p. 33). Because 2 our modern culture is so highly competitive, by the time children enter the elementary school they realize that in order to gain prestige and approval they must be able to do things better than others can do them (4, p. 578). Since the children are a part of this competitive culture, they should be prepared to effectively participate in society during their maturity. Therefore, it would be unrealistic for the school to exist without incorporating the culture's value standards into its curriculum. It is a responsibility of the school and the teachers to assist the children in learning how to compete in the most socially beneficial manner (5, p. 273). Competitive activities that are experi- enced in school require an intermingling of competitive and cooperative effort analogous to that found in trade, business and other life situations (3, p. 156). Thus the school is a model world, in which the child becomes gradually accustomed to conditions that he will have to face in life. Besides the many and varied experiences of a competitive nature that the school offers, the child has the opportunity to participate in many competitive activities outside the school environment. One example of this is the controversial athletic programs for very young children that have come about in the last decade and are sponsored by various community service organizations. Many towns have city-wide leagues in football, basketball and softball for children, nine years 3 of age and older. Thus many children at a very early age are placed in highly competitive situations at school as well as other places. [Competition has been shown to increase speeds on learning tasks as well as to increase general performance. So, for most individuals, competition can be said to provide a great incentive for learning. Also an individual's feeling of self- V worth may be greatly enhanced, through achievement in competitive situations. In the type situations which involve conflict between groups, cooperative behavior may be developed within each group. Competitive situations may also foster team work, fair play and sportsmanship (^, p. 579). This is not to say that only good may be expected, to come from competitive situations. Some types of competition may be detrimental to certain individuals. Competition is not beneficial to those who never succeed and to those who are excluded from the programs. Hostility may become con- nected with competition, as may feelings of inferiority and rejection by those who do not succeed in competition. Some who excel in competitive endeavors may have the tendency to develop a sense of arrogance due to their success. Great harm can come from competitive experiences that are not planned or supervised wisely. There is also a concern about the feelings, attitudes and social behavior associated with competition (*+, p. 579). 4 It can thus be seen that competition can have an im- portant effect on the character development of an individual. Each competitive activity in which he participates will lead to the development of change within himself. Since competition in many activities may play an im- portant part in the life and. personality development of almost every person, there is a need, to study the outcomes, either desirable or undesirable, that might be associated with compe- titive programs in high school. Such a study might serve as a basis for justification of existing extra-curricular programs, and knowledge gained could serve as a guide in planning new and meaningful experiences for high school students; and indi- viduals could be channeled into programs that are shown to further the development of desirable personality traits. It is hoped, that as a result of this study further knowledge will be provided for those interested in the effects of competitive experiences on personality trait development. Statement of the Problem This study sought to determine whether significant differ- ences existed, in the personality traits of high school girls who had undergone different types of competitive experiences. Those considered, were interscholastic league basketball, debate, drill team and. school band.. A group of girls who had not en- gaged in competition was also included. 5 Definition of Terms The following operative definitions were accepted as applicable to this study: 1. Interscholastic basketball teams.--Persons who are members of a group that play organized basketball games as the representatives of their schools in a pre-planned schedule of games. They participate in organized practice periods under the supervision of a salaried coach. 2. Debate Teams.--Persons who are members of a group that have participated in debate competition as representa- tives of their schools. They have a pre-planned schedule of competition with representatives from other schools and are under the direction of a faculty sponsor. 3* Drill teams.--Persons who are members of a group that have as their function the performance of drill routines in public and in competitive situations where their performances are judged. Membership and promotion in the group are on the basis of scholastic achievement and performances before judges. 4. School band.--Persons in a school who play musical instruments. This group has participated in individual and. group contests, and, promotion to higher levels within the organization is on a competitive basis. 5. Significant difference.--A difference of such magni- tude that the mean for each group for each personality factor 6 measured by the California Psychological Inventory will fall more than one standard deviation above or below the mean present in the norms for the California Psychological In- ventory. 6. Competition.--participation in an activity in order 1/ to achieve a goal or a superiority that is also being sought by others. Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study was to determine the effect competition of various types had on the personality adjust- ment of certain high school girls. Specifically the following null hypotheses were tested.: 1. There will be no significant difference in person- ality traits of girls who have competed on interscholastic basketball teams as compared, to the norms established for the California Psychological Inventory. 2. There will be no significant difference in person- ality traits of girls who have competed on debate teams as compared to norms established for the California Psycho- logical Inventory. 3. There will be no significant difference in person- ality traits of girls who have competed on drill teams as compared to norms established for the California Psycho- * logical Inventory. 7 There will be no significant difference in person- ality traits of girls who have competed, in the school band, as compared to norms established for the California Psycho- logical Inventory.