A field study on the relationship between alienation and personality characteristics in sports

The research on the alienation in sports and personality characteristics of the athletes getting training from the Turkish Olympics Preparation Center (TOPC) constitutes the purpose of this study. The athletes getting training from the TOPC and the athletes selected through random sampling in the cities where the TOPC is located constitute the target population of the study. In the study, the "Personal Information Form" prepared towards obtaining the demographic characteristics of the athletes, the "Alienation Scale in Sports" whose validity and reliability study is made by us, and the "Five-Factor Personality Inventory" developed by Donahue and Kentle (1991) and whose adaptation study is made by Alkan (2007) have been applied. In the consequence of the conducted analyses, the frequency and percentage distributions of the athletes have been provided. According to the unpaired t-test made for testing the difference of the alienation scale in sports and its sub dimensions according to sex, while a significant difference was determined in the athletes who get and don't get training from the TOPC, in some of the sub dimensions a significant difference was determined according to age, educational and income levels. And in the five-factor personality scale, while there was no significant difference in the sub dimensions according to level of income, a significant difference has been determined in some sub dimensions according to age, level of education and sex. According to the conducted regression analysis, openness and emotional imbalance, which are sub dimensions of five-factor personality inventory, display significant relationship with alienation in sports. According to the unpaired t-test conducted on the alienation in sports and personality inventory scores of the athletes who get and don't get training from the TOPC as a boarding student, while a significant difference was determined in cases including alienation in sports, no difference was determined in the personality inventory and its sub dimensions. As a result; the relationship between the perceived alienation levels and the personality traits of the athletes was determined. Factors such as demographic characteristics of the athletes, change of social environment, and the fact that they continue their sport life away from their families make a meaningful difference in the alienation and sub-dimensions of sports, while a less significant difference has been found in the five-factor personality inventory and sub-dimensions. It is assumed that the athletes' social environment and personality traits are effective in alienation levels and that their performance can be affected. Anahtar Kelimeler: Kişilik, Sporda yabancılaşma, TOHM,