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Sensation Seeking and Personality Types

The narrowband approach states that people have either a Type A or Type B personality. Type A personalities are impatient, highly strung, and intolerant with high stress levels, while Type B personalities are relaxed and tolerant with low stress levels. Three narrowband approaches are sensation seeking, telic dominance, and mental toughness. Sensation seeking involves seeking novel experiences. Telic dominance refers to whether one is dominated by avoiding or seeking arousal. Mental toughness includes qualities like coping with pressure, determination, and resilience.

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Ramsha Shahid
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2K views3 pages

Sensation Seeking and Personality Types

The narrowband approach states that people have either a Type A or Type B personality. Type A personalities are impatient, highly strung, and intolerant with high stress levels, while Type B personalities are relaxed and tolerant with low stress levels. Three narrowband approaches are sensation seeking, telic dominance, and mental toughness. Sensation seeking involves seeking novel experiences. Telic dominance refers to whether one is dominated by avoiding or seeking arousal. Mental toughness includes qualities like coping with pressure, determination, and resilience.

Uploaded by

Ramsha Shahid
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Sensation Seeking
  • Narrow Band Approach
  • Mental Toughness
  • The Benefits of Good Mental Preparation

Narrow Band Approach

The narrowband approach is a more straightforward approach to personality which


states that every person has either a Type A or Type B personality.

Type A: Impatient, highly strung, intolerant; high-stress levels

Type B: Relaxed, tolerant; low-stress levels

Three narror band approaches to personality are worth a particularly close look:
 Sensation seeking
 Telic dominance
 Mental toughness

Sensation Seeking
Sensation Seeking Definition

Sensation seeking is a personality trait defined by the degree to which an individual


seeks novel and highly stimulating activities and experiences. People who are high in
sensation seeking are attracted to the unknown and as a result consistently seek the
new, varied, and unpredictable. Examples of such behaviors are varied, but
sensation seekers may be attracted to extreme sports, frequent travel, diverse foods
and music, new sexual partners and experiences, and challenging existing
viewpoints. Often, sensation seekers are likely to be impulsive and engage in
behaviors that others would find too risky. The risks may be physical (e.g., skydiving),
social (e.g., risking embarrassment by dressing unusually), financial (e.g., gambling),
or legal (e.g., vandalism). Because sensation seekers are easily bored, they actively
avoid situations and activities likely to be overly repetitive and predictable.

Sensation Seeking Theory

Marvin Zuckerman originally developed the concept of sensation seeking and has
contributed the most important research and relevant theory. Zuckerman’s work is
especially noteworthy because of his firm and long-standing emphasis on the
biological and evolutionary bases of sensation seeking (and personality more
generally). Specifically, Zuckerman’s basic proposition is that sensation seeking is
based on individual differences in the optimal level of sensation caused by biological
nervous-system differences. People who are high in sensation seeking are
individuals who have relatively low-level nervous system activation and therefore
seek arousal from their external environment by looking for novel stimuli and
engaging in varied experiences. In contrast, individuals who are low in sensation
seeking have a naturally higher level of internal activation and thus do not tend to
seek sensation from external sources. Zuckerman posits that sensation seeking is
genetically influenced because it is evolutionary adaptive. Across the animal kingdom,
engaging in a certain degree of risky behaviors will increase the likelihood of survival
and reproductive success (e.g., seeking new territories for food and new potential
mates).
Sensation Seeking Measurement

Zuckerman first created the Sensation Seeking Scale in 1964 to measure an


individual’s overall level of susceptibility to excitement or boredom in the context of
sensory deprivation experiments. Current versions of the self-report measure include
four subscales: (1) Thrill and Adventure Seeking—the extent to which individuals
engage in or are interested in participating in risky activities such as parachuting or
skiing; (2) Experience Seeking—the degree to which one seeks excitement through
the mind, such as from music, art, and travel; (3) Disinhibition—seeking sensations
through social stimulation and disinhibitory behaviors such as drinking and sex; and
(4) Boredom Susceptibility—avoiding monotonous, repetitive, and boring situations,
people, and activities.

Telic Dominance
The idea of telic dominance comes from wider field of reversal theory, an approach to
analysing human motivation that explains personality in terms of individual
differences in motivational style.
Reversal Theory: We all alternate between telic states, in which we avoid arousal,
and paratelic states, in which we seek arousal.
Some of us can be said to be dominated by telic states and others by paratelic states;
that is, we spend most of our time in that state.

Kerr has suggested that telic dominance affects choice of sports, sporting
achievement and response of an individual to the pressure of competition. Because
arousal is associated with high risk, we would expect highly paratelic-dominant
people to prefer high risk sports, whereas telic dominant individuals might prefer
more low risk activities.

Mental toughness
"Mental toughness" is frequently used to refer to any set of positive attributes that
helps a person to cope with difficult situations.
This manifests in a range of qualities, including coping with pressure of competition,
coming back after failure, determination and resilience.

The 4 C’s of Mental Toughness

Clough have attempted to explain mental toughness as a set of coping skills that
combine to make an individual hardy, that is, able to thrive under pressure.
Clough and colleagues identified four characteristics underlying hardiness.

 Control: being able to keep emotions in check.


 Commitment: taking and active role in events.
 Challenge: a positive attitude to change.
 Confidence: self-belief.
The benefits of good mental preparation

1) Increased mental toughness: Developing mental toughness allows your athletes


to perform at their full potential under pressure, while also remaining calm and being
able to bounce back from obstacles and mistakes.

Among many other ways, mental toughness is developed in practice by repeatedly


exposing athletes to challenging situations that they might face in a game or
competition.

2) Greater goal-getting: Setting goals provides direction for athletes’ training. These
goals should focus on both the short and long term, and also be attainable yet
challenging.

Athletes achieving their personal goals in practice instills great self-confidence in


their minds on gameday.

3) Improved focus: Focus refers to your athlete’s ability to concentrate and block
out distractions. Strong focus is a form of mental toughness and keeps athletes
performing at their best for longer periods of time.

4) Super self-efficacy: Believing in oneself in part means believing in your abilities.

Self-efficacy is entwined with having self-confidence, being prepared for any situation,
and having a passion to achieve your goals, all of which can be cultivated with
healthy mental preparation.

5) Better work ethic: Nothing great is achieved without hard work. Regardless of
your natural gifts and abilities, the work that athletes complete in the gym and in the
classroom is paramount to success both in sports and life.

Work ethic is related to perseverance, resilience, and dedication in everything else


we do in our lives, both in and outside of sport.

Common questions

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Telic dominance affects sports behavior by influencing risk preferences. Telic dominant individuals, who avoid arousal, may prefer low-risk activities. In contrast, paratelic dominant individuals prefer high-risk sports due to their arousal-seeking behavior. This motivational style impacts sports choices, achievement, and responses to competition pressure .

While sensation seeking can foster adventure and innovation, it poses potential drawbacks like increased exposure to risk, unstable lifestyles, or strained relationships. Engaging in high-risk behaviors like extreme sports or impulsive social actions can lead to physical harm, financial losses, or legal issues. The constant need for novelty may also result in commitment challenges and ethical dilemmas .

Sensation seeking traits may manifest differently across cultures due to varied societal norms, risk tolerances, and available opportunities. For example, cultures valuing individualism might encourage extreme sports or entrepreneurial ventures, aligning with high sensation seeking. Conversely, collectivist cultures might restrict these expressions due to a focus on conformity and social harmony, potentially leading to lower visibility or acceptance of such traits .

Mental toughness facilitates effective goal setting by fostering attributes like perseverance and focus. Setting achievable yet challenging goals aids athletes by providing direction, instilling self-confidence, and enhancing their ability to concentrate and perform under pressure. The synergy between goal setting and mental toughness thus boosts performance and resilience in competitive settings .

Marvin Zuckerman's theory posits that sensation seeking is rooted in individual differences in the optimal level of sensation due to biological nervous system variations. People high in sensation seeking have low nervous system activation and seek external arousal via novel stimuli. Zuckerman also suggests it's genetically influenced and evolutionary adaptive, as risky behaviors increase survival and reproductive success .

The 4 C's—Control, Commitment, Challenge, and Confidence—are pivotal in mental toughness. Control involves emotional regulation under stress; Commitment is about active engagement and persistence; Challenge reflects a positive attitude towards change and obstacles; Confidence entails self-belief. These attributes collectively enable individuals to handle competitive pressure, recover from failures, and strive in challenging situations, contributing significantly to performance and personal growth .

Mental preparation enhances athlete performance and resilience by increasing mental toughness, goal achievement, and focus. It builds self-efficacy and a strong work ethic, enabling athletes to remain calm under pressure, persist through challenges, and recover from setbacks effectively. This preparation is crucial for maintaining peak performance in competitive scenarios .

Boredom susceptibility refers to the aversion to monotonous situations, characteristic of sensation seekers. These individuals are easily bored by repetitive or predictable events, driving them to seek novel and stimulating experiences. This trait is a fundamental dimension of sensation seeking, motivating a constant pursuit of new challenges to satisfy their high arousal needs .

Sensation seekers might gravitate towards dynamic careers or lifestyles reflecting their need for novel and varied experiences. Careers in travel, entertainment, or entrepreneurship may appeal due to associated unpredictability and excitement. Lifestyle choices might include traveling extensively, partaking in extreme sports, or frequently seeking new social experiences, reflecting their need to avoid monotony and find stimulation .

Individuals high in sensation seeking often exhibit risk-taking behaviors as they seek novelty and arousal. Such behaviors include engaging in extreme sports, financial gambling, or social disinhibition. The low internal arousal prompts these individuals to seek external stimuli, linking sensation seeking directly to various risky behaviors .

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