The main methods for diagnosing personality are personality questionnaires. This is a whole class of psychodiagnostic techniques that are designed to determine the severity of certain personal characteristics in a person. Questionnaires can be in the form of questionnaires or tests compiled according to the topic. These are the most widely used measurement methods personal qualities, possessing all the attributes of effective tests: discriminativeness, reliability and standardization.

Each method is a standardized questionnaire. It consists of a set of sentences with the meaning of which the subject can agree or express his disagreement. The questions are structured so that when answering them, the subject reports about his typical forms of behavior in different situations, about his well-being, evaluates himself from different positions, and reveals the features of his relationships with the outside world.

Personality questionnaires

They are always created on the basis of one or several scales of attitudes. Questions are grouped so that the answers make it possible to assess a particular property or condition of a person. These grouped questions (scales) differ in the name of the personality trait of interest (scales of leadership, anxiety, aggressiveness, etc.). The data obtained after the survey is converted using special statistical procedures into scores, usually displayed in the form of a graph.

Today there is huge number questionnaires of various types - depending on the specific theory of personality. Some are complex - designed to simultaneously assess several aspects of a personality, while others are aimed at studying only individual character traits. In many questionnaires, identifying personality traits is based on various factor analysis techniques. The main disadvantage of such questionnaires is that subjects can sometimes respond based on the requirements of the interview situation. Thus, a person, wittingly or unwittingly, can distort information provided about himself.

Projective techniques

This is a special test material used to study the personality as a whole or only its individual aspects. The action of such techniques is based on the mechanism of self-projection. It was first discovered by Sigmund Freud and described as the attribution of one's desires and feelings to an external object. Such a projection is subconscious in nature and performs protective functions, removing contradictions between a person’s true aspirations and social norms accepted in society.

The main features of projective techniques include:

• ambiguity of stimulus material or instructions;
• lack of visible assessment on the part of the experimenter, inability to evaluate one’s answers as “correct” or “incorrect”;
• focus on a holistic study of personality.

In addition to these advantages, projective techniques also have their own objective disadvantages. Among the first is the lack of standardization of research data. The quality of interpretation of the technique depends only on the professionalism of the psychodiagnostician. The reliability of the information obtained in this way is also questionable. Projective techniques are not focused on quantitative assessment, that is, they show a deviation from the norm, but not the very magnitude of this deviation. To increase the reliability of the results, it is better to combine this method with the usual test. Then clearer and more correct data will be obtained.

Objective methods

Personality tests are psychodiagnostic methods that measure aspects of personality: relationships, attitudes, values, motivational, emotional and interpersonal personal characteristics behavior. The main purpose of personality tests is to determine the severity of a person’s motivation, emotions, interests and relationships, as well as the characteristics of his behavior in non-standard situations.

Personality tests include tests for temperament, character, motivation, and emotions. Also included are aptitude tests and value orientations. On the other hand, complex personality tests stand out. They are able to give a comprehensive assessment of personality or individual personal properties. There are also private personality tests that assess individual personality traits, emotions, motives and values.

Basic methods of obtaining personality data in psychodiagnostics

IN practical work a diagnostic psychologist uses mainly three ways to identify mental characteristics person necessary to make a reliable psychological diagnosis. Firstly, behavioral reactions, mental manifestations, diagnosed through observation in real, life or specially simulated situations. In some cases, for example, when diagnosing developmental problems in young children preschool age observational data may be the only source of psychological information. Secondly, wide popularity in modern psychological diagnostics uses information about the subject obtained from himself, that is, a person’s subjective ideas about himself, self-esteem, self-attitude. Methods of self-description and self-report have great potential in this regard. These include, first of all, questionnaires, various self-esteem scales and methods of self-observation. Thirdly, a significant place in psychological information is occupied by objective information obtained on the basis experimental research and tests. The test technique makes it possible to identify not only the individual’s conscious experiences, relationships with other people and ideas about the world, but also the unconscious content of consciousness and leading attitudes.

There are 3 types of data for personality diagnostics:

1) L – life record data – data describing life. Data obtained from monitoring real life person. To obtain them, experts, the most expensive and most reliable diagnostic data are used.

2) Q – questionnaire data – questionnaire data. The cheapest and least reliable data. Sources of errors: 1 – lack of introspection skills among subjects; 2 – difference in cultural standards(all tests are developed primarily for American people); 3 – use of incorrect standards; 4 – motivational distortion (aggravation – emphasizing one’s own shortcomings), 5 – dissimulation – social desirability of answers; 6 – simulation (depiction of a fictional character).

3) T – objective test data – objective test data. The use of an experimental situation when it does not tell, but shows reality; masking the true purpose of testing; unexpectedness of the task; creating emotional tension (when a person behaves most sincerely).

In personality diagnostics, there are several theoretical approaches depending on what is meant by personality.

1. Diagnosis of personality traits.

A personality trait is a behavior characteristic that is inherent in all people without exception. People differ among themselves in the severity of their personality traits. The set of personality traits is determined by the concept underlying the diagnostic technique/test.

There are 3 types of traits:

Constitutional - those traits that are given from birth.

Individual traits are formed during life on the basis of innate characteristics and manifest themselves in adulthood. Most questionnaire tests change individual traits; they mysteriously appear out of nowhere.

Personality traits in the narrow sense of the word. When describing them, they were based on the concept of Charlotte Buhler, who said that personality exists at moments of self-determination, i.e. when a person sets individual goals that are different from others and achieves them himself. Personality traits are those characteristics that a person forms consciously and purposefully. These characteristics are diagnosed only during the conversation.

Eizeng Questionnaire.

R. Kettell (based on a mathematical model of personality)

Questionnaire name: 16 P.F. (16 personality factors). It is difficult to advise on it, but for scientific research very good. (#result of one of the studies: a heart attack is a problem of self-love, a stroke is a person takes on a lot of responsibility, the brain begins to fail).

The Big Five methodology is a modern analogue of Cattal. There are 5 main scales. Basic characteristics: intelligence, extraversion (considered as the basic characteristic of a person, and introversion is socially conditioned), stability (a quality that is associated with resistance to stress), consciousness ( existential approach to life, consciousness presupposes that a person understands how his life develops as a result of his personal actions in life), tolerance/friendliness (tolerance of others, acceptance of others, etc.).

2. Block approach to personality diagnostics.

Personality is viewed as consisting of separate independent substructures that can be diagnosed using separate methods. This approach is methodologically poorly justified and largely contradicts modern ideas about a person, but in practice it is used very well.

Within this approach, the following blocks are distinguished:

A block of psychophysiological characteristics associated with temperament. Techniques that identify innate properties highlight responses to stress.

Block emotional reactions And emotional states. Methods that identify the characteristics of aggressive behavior, the level of human activity, the level of stress, the level of anxiety. The methods work frankly poorly. (questionnaire for poor students - Spielberg-Hain questionnaire).

Self-identification block. Methods for self-esteem, the simplest, most well-known, well-working one is the Budassi test (Soviet) - a classic quasi-experiment. Diagnosis of Hoppe's level of aspirations. The content is an experiment with a hidden testing purpose. In this technique, the subject is told that the task is to measure intelligence, cards are given, on one side is the card number (from 1 to 10 in complexity), on the other is the task. Task: dial maximum amount points for a certain time, human behavior in a stressful situation is analyzed. Depending on which card a person starts with, the initial level of self-esteem, reaction to success, reaction to failure, reaction to injustice, reaction to goodwill (reward for a not quite correct answer) is measured. There are also modern self-attitude questionnaires that measure the “I” concept, scales of subjective well-being.

Block life values. Methods based on Rokeach's concept. American psychologist. Introduced the concept of terminal value. Terminal value is a person’s belief in the advantages of some life goals over others. Developed a list of terminal values ​​and proposed methods for assessing them. The popular “meaning of life orientations” (SLO) questionnaire is based on Frankl’s concept.

3. Psychodynamic approach personality diagnostics.

Considers the personality in the development of dynamics, while it is assumed that the current situation is determined by past events. Past events determine a person’s motivation and the structure of existing needs. Accordingly, the dynamic approach includes projective methods of psychodiagnostics.

4. Interactional approach to personality psychology.

Within the framework of this approach, a communicative picture of the world is recognized, a person is considered in continuous interaction with other people, i.e. a person is viewed through the prism of relationships with other people.

Within this approach, there are 2 groups of methods:

Diagnostics of relationships within a really existing group.

Experimental techniques in a form reminiscent psychological training, they diagnose real emotional connections within a group. The sociometry technique is the main requirement: the simultaneous presence of all group members during diagnosis. Sociometry allows you to quantify the level of authority of each member in a group. There are leaders, preferred, neglected and rejected. The main drawback is that the methodology is quantitative and does not answer the question of why this situation developed in the group. If this is a leader, then what kind of leader is this, if this person is rejected, then why/for what he is rejected. Therefore, in addition to it, there is a technique for determining the motivational core of the group. Based on Maslow’s pyramid, 2-3 characteristics of a person are selected for each motivation. All members of the group are then ranked according to the severity of these characteristics. The information core of the group is identified. Referentometry allows you to identify hidden leaders or a reference group, whose opinion everyone else is guided by. Methodology of intragroup identification. It shows the nature of the motivation of actions among group members. High level identification, when others are treated the same way as oneself, and vice versa. Intragroup identification is a training exercise in which there is a stressful situation or threat, group members are threatened with some sanctions and need to accept common decision and sacrifice someone.

Diagnosis of the communicative characteristics of a particular person.

There are: methods for diagnosing characteristics of behavior in conflict, diagnosing the communication strategies used, diagnosing communicative competence. Narrative approach to personality diagnostics. The narrative (plot) approach reveals general principles attitudes to life, to time, preferred life goals and strategies for achieving them.

Personality questionnaire

The scales of the questionnaire are formed on the basis of the results of factor analysis and reflect a set of interrelated factors. The questionnaire is designed to diagnose states and personality traits that are of paramount importance for the process social adaptation and regulation of behavior.

The FPI questionnaire contains 12 scales; Form B differs from the full form only in half the number of questions. The total number of questions in the questionnaire is 114. One (first) question is not included in any of the scales, since it is of a testing nature. Questionnaire scales I-IX are basic, or basic, and X-XII are derivative, integrating.

• 1 Neuroticism;
• 2 Spontaneous aggressiveness;
• 3 Depression;
• 4 Irritability;
• 5 Sociability;
• 6 Balance;
• 7 Reactive aggressiveness;
• 8 Shyness;
• 9 Openness;
• 10 Extraversion - Introversion;
• 11 Emotional lability;
• 12 Masculinism - feminism.

Diagnostics of personal creativity E. E. Tunik

The method for determining personal creativity consists of 50 questions and 4 scales such as:

• · Curiosity. A subject with pronounced curiosity most often asks everyone and about everything, he likes to study the structure of mechanical things, he is constantly looking for new ways (methods) of thinking, he likes to study new things and ideas, he looks for different possibilities for solving problems, he studies books, games, maps, paintings etc. to learn as much as possible.
• · Imagination. Imaginative subject: makes up stories about places he has never seen; imagines how others will solve a problem that he solves himself; dreams about different places and things; likes to think about phenomena that he has not encountered; sees what is depicted in paintings and drawings in an unusual way, not like others; often feels surprised by different ideas and events.
• · Complexity. A subject focused on understanding complex phenomena shows interest in complex things and ideas; likes to set himself difficult tasks; likes to study something without outside help; shows persistence to achieve his goal; offers too complex solutions to the problem than seems necessary; he likes challenging tasks.
• · Risk appetite. It manifests itself in the fact that the subject will defend his ideas, not paying attention to the reaction of others; sets himself high goals and will try to implement them; allows for the possibility of mistakes and failures; loves to learn new things or ideas and does not give in to other people's opinions; is not overly concerned when classmates, teachers, or parents express their disapproval; prefers to have a chance to take risks to see what happens.

Willingness to Take Risks (PSK) Schubert

The test allows you to assess the degree of risk readiness. Risk is understood as an action at random in the hope of a happy outcome or as a possible danger, as an action performed under conditions of uncertainty. The questionnaire contains 25 questions, 5 categories of answers, for which points are awarded: “completely agree”, “completely yes” - 2 points; “more yes than no” - 1 point; “neither yes nor no”, “something in between” - 0 points; “more no than yes” - 1 point; “completely no” - 2 points. All points received are summed up.

Sampling rationale

The study sample consisted of athletes aged 18 to 30 years, 60 people in total. In connection with the hypothesis, they were divided into 2 groups of 30 people each. The first group includes basketball players, the second group includes athletes involved in extreme sports, such as alpine skiing, parkour, rafting, and mountain biking. The athletes participating in the study have been involved in sports from one to ten years.

These sports are included in the classification of the International Olympic Committee. In it, basketball belongs to the first group of sports, that is, a sport characterized by active motor activity of athletes with the utmost manifestation of physical and mental qualities. Alpine skiing is included in the sixth group. The peculiarities of these sports are complex coordination and varied movements that have high demands on the athlete’s abilities and endurance, which in turn is a feature of extreme sports. Another feature of them is its novelty and the young age of the athletes. In our opinion, the choice of an extreme sport is influenced by such personal characteristics as: extroversion, masculinity, risk-taking and level of stress resistance.

Progress of the experiment

1 Statement of the research problem.

An analysis was carried out of the relevance and elaboration of various aspects of psychological reality, as a result the problem on which this study was based was formulated.

2 Literature review. At this stage of the study, the bibliographic method was used. In the course of using this method, the material covering the subject of research of this problem is analyzed and systematized.

IN Lately many types of extreme sports appeared, which certainly led to a passion for them younger generation. Extreme attracts with the amount of adrenaline received, the variety of physical activity, the quantity and quality of emotions experienced and much more. Many researchers have become interested in this topic and are actively conducting research, but to this day the theoretical basis is poorly developed. In this regard, the task was set to determine the range of personality traits influencing the choice of extreme sports.

3 Stage of experimental psychological research.

The selection of respondents and subsequent division into groups was carried out depending on the type of sport. Thus, the first group of respondents included athletes involved in basketball (30 people) - this group is the control group (CG), the second group included athletes involved in extreme sports (30 people) - this group is the experimental group (EG). The study was completely anonymous and voluntary. The respondents were aware of the purpose of the study. As a result, 60 people took part in the psychodiagnostic experiment.

Research procedure:

Respondents in both groups were offered a package of methods including a method for determining personal creativity, which was chosen to identify risk propensity (R), a modified FPI questionnaire to determine the level of stress resistance and masculinization-feminization, and Schubert’s method for diagnosing risk propensity (PSK).

Completing the methods took an average of 30-40 minutes.

4 Analysis and interpretation of data obtained empirically.

Upon completion of the psychodiagnostic stage, data processing was carried out. The data obtained using the Modified FPI Questionnaire, Schubert's Risk Propensity (PSK), and E. E. Tunik's Personal Creativity Diagnostics methods were processed according to standard procedures.

The obtained quantitative data were analyzed using the following statistical and mathematical analysis tools:

• · Student's T-test.
• · Correlation analysis.
• 5 Summing up the research.

Based on the results of the study, the main results of the study were presented, taking into account the degree to which the goal and objectives of the study were achieved. Conclusions were also made on the empirical part, which are of particular value and are a response to the tasks posed in the study.

Analysis of research results

The study involved 2 groups of respondents. In the first group, respondents were involved in basketball (n=30), this group is the control group (CG), in the second group, athletes involved in extreme sports (n=30), this group is the experimental group (EG). The sample consisted of 60 people. The respondents aged from 18 to 30 years were studied. Subsequently, the source material was processed taking into account the identified groups.

The results of the study made it possible to describe the influence of personality traits on the choice of sport.

These methods Diagnostics of personal creativity E.E. Tunic

In order to determine differences in the study results, the Student's T-test was used.

From Table 1 it is clear that statistically significant (p<0,05 ; t=2,124) является различие по шкале склонности к риску, который проявляется в том, что спортсмены занимающиеся экстремальными видами спорта более склонны к отстаиванию своих идеи, не обращая внимания на реакцию других; постановке перед собой высоких целей и к попыткам их осуществить, а так же допускать для себя возможность ошибок и провалов сильнее, нежели спортсмены занимающиеся баскетболом.

Table 1 - Average values ​​on the scales of the Diagnostics of Personal Creativity methodology E.E. Tunic

FPI personality questionnaire data

A comparative analysis of the results of the FPI personality questionnaire (Table 2) shows that the differences on the “neuroticism” scales are statistically significant (p<0,05 ; t=3,238), «спонтанной агрессивности» (р<0,05 ; t=2,269), «депрессивности» (р<0,05 ; t=2,618), «раздражительности» (р<0,05 ; t=2,832), «застенчивости» (р<0,05 ; t=3,864), «открытости» (р<0,05 ; t=2,197), «эмоциональной лабильности» (р<0,05 ; t=4,654) и «маскулинности - фемининности» (р<0,05 ; t=2,458). Спортсмены из первой группы по сравнению со спортсменами из второй группы показывают более высокую чувствительность, слабый самоконтроль, чуткость, ранимость, отзывчивость, некоторую неуверенность в себе. В свою очередь спортсмены второй группы отличаются ярко выраженной смелостью, предприимчивостью и стремлением к самоуважению .

Table 2 - Average values ​​on the scales of the FPI personality questionnaire

These methods Risk Propensity (PSK) A.M. Schubert

When processing the Risk Propensity (PSK) technique A.M. Schubert, significant differences were obtained on the “risk propensity” scale (p<0,05 ; t=2,101), что говорит о высокой готовности к риску сопровождающейся низкой мотивацией к избеганию неудач (Таблица 3).

Table 3 - Average values ​​according to the Risk Propensity (PSK) method by A.M. Schubert

Data from correlation analysis of indicators of scales of questionnaire methods by A.M. Schubert “Risk Propensity” (PSK), FPI personality questionnaire, E.E. Tunic “Diagnostics of personal creativity”

At the next stage of analysis and interpretation of the data obtained from the empirical study, a correlation analysis was carried out in order to identify the relationship between the level of masculinity, risk-taking propensity, extraversion and stress resistance.

Correlation analysis of data from a psychodiagnostic examination of group 1

As can be seen from Table 4, the correlation between the data on the “neuroticism” scale of the FPI personality questionnaire and the data on the “imagination” scale of the personal creativity questionnaire of E.E. is reliably significant (p 0.05). Tunic.

Thus, basketball players with a higher level of anxiety tend to notice the unusual in the ordinary, to daydream, and think.

It was also discovered<0,05) данных по шкале «спонтанная агрессивность» личностного опросника FPI и данных по шкале «любознательность» опросника личностной креативности Е.Е. Туник. Для спортсменов - баскетболистов при более низком уровне самоконтроля и импульсивности свойственна любознательность, то есть склонность к изучению нового .

Table 4 - Correlation coefficients of indicators of scales of methods of questionnaires by A.M. Schubert “Risk Propensity” (PSK), FPI personality questionnaire, E.E. Tunic "Diagnostics of personal creativity" 1st group

We found a reliably significant correlation (p<0,05) данных по шкале «общительность» личностного опросника FPI и данных по шкалам «склонность к риску», «сложность» и «креативность» опросника личностной креативности Е.Е. Туник. Это говорит о том, что спортсмены первой группы ориентированны на познание сложных вещей и если для них что-то покажется важным, они рискнут, при этом мало обращая внимание на мнение окружающих .

Reliably significant correlation (p<0,05) была обнаружена между данными по шкале «реактивная агрессивность» личностного опросника FPI и данными по шкале «любознательность» опросника личностной креативности Е.Е. Туник. Таким образом, спортсмены занимающиеся баскетболом отличаются большой любовью к чувственным наслаждениям и удовольствиям, что в сочетании с любознательностью говорит о том, что они склонны пробовать новые способы получения удовлетворения .

From this we can conclude that basketball athletes are more characterized by low conformity, a craving for pleasure and thrills, openness to new social contacts, and relaxedness.

Correlation analysis of data from a psychodiagnostic examination of group 2

As can be seen from Table 5, the correlation between the data on the “neuroticism” scale of the FPI personality questionnaire and the data on the “imagination” and “creativity” scales of the personal creativity questionnaire of E.E. is reliably significant (p 0.05). Tunic. Thus, extreme athletes, just like basketball players, with a higher level of anxiety, are prone to daydreaming, thinking and noticing the unusual in the ordinary, but they are more creative people.

<0,05) данных по шкале «спонтанная агрессивность» личностного опросника FPI и данных по шкале «склонность к риску» методики склонности к риску (PSK) А.М. Шуберта. То есть, для экстремальщиков низком уровне самоконтроля и импульсивности свойственна склонность к риску, которая сопровождается низкой мотивацией к избеганию неудач .

Table 5 - Correlation coefficients of indicators of scales of methods of questionnaires by A.M. Schubert “Risk Propensity” (PSK), FPI personality questionnaire, E.E. Tunic “Diagnostics of personal creativity” of the 2nd group

When calculating, a significantly significant correlation was found (p<0,05) данных по шкале «раздражительность» личностного опросника FPI и данных по шкале «склонность к риску» опросника личностной креативности Е.Е. Туник. Это говорит о том, что спортсмены второй группы при низком уровне контроля за действиями, имеют склонность к рискованным действиям и решениям.

Reliably significant correlation (p<0,05) была обнаружена между данными по шкале «реактивная агрессивность» личностного опросника FPI и данными по шкалам «склонность к риску» и «креативность» опросника личностной креативности Е.Е. Туник. Таким образом, спортсмены занимающиеся экстремальными видами спорта отличаются стремлением к немедленному удовлетворению своих желаний, нетерпимостью к контролю их поведения из вне и к постановке перед собой высоких целей .

A significantly significant correlation was also found (p<0,05) данных по шкале «эмоциональная лабильность» личностного опросника FPI и данными по шкалам «склонность к риску» и «креативность» опросника личностной креативности Е.Е. Туник. Для спортсменов, занимающихся экстремальными видами спорта характерна чувствительность, ранимость, артистичность в сочетании с рискованным поведением и творческим началом .

Reliably significant correlation (p<0,05) была обнаружена между данными по шкале «маскулинность - фемининность» личностного опросника FPI, данными по шкале «креативности» опросника личностной креативности Е.Е. Туник и и данных по шкале «склонность к риску» методики склонности к риску (PSK) А.М. Шуберта. Что говорит о трезвых и реалистичных суждениях спортсменов - экстремальщиков, высокой степени готовности к риску в сочетании с креативным, творческим подходом к выполняемой деятельности .

The study showed reliably significant differences in two groups of respondents on such scales as: risk-taking, neuroticism, spontaneous aggressiveness, depression, irritability, shyness, openness, emotional lability and masculinity - femininity. This suggests that athletes involved in basketball show higher sensitivity, poor self-control, sensitivity, vulnerability, responsiveness, and some self-doubt. Also, with a higher level of anxiety, they tend to notice the unusual in the ordinary, to daydreaming, and thinking. Athletes of the first group are focused on learning complex things and if something seems important to them, they will take risks, while paying little attention to the opinions of others.

From this we can conclude that basketball athletes are more likely to have low conformity, a craving for pleasure and thrills, openness to new social contacts, and relaxed behavior.

In turn, athletes of the second group are distinguished by pronounced courage, enterprise and a desire for self-respect; they are more inclined to defend their ideas, not paying attention to the reactions of others; setting high goals for yourself and trying to implement them, as well as allowing yourself the possibility of mistakes and failures more.

Thus, we can conclude that athletes involved in extreme sports are more likely to take risky actions, sober judgment, sensitivity, and artistic perception of the environment.