DO YOU LIKE YOUR TEAMMATES? PERSONALITY AND RELATIONSHIP QUALITY BETWEEN TEAMMATES IN COLLEGIATE ATHLETES

Abstract

Lily Rainey, Eleni Petkari

Extensive evidence has highlighted the association between personality traits and an individual’s interpersonal and relational outcomes. However, there is a major gap on the link between personality and perceived quality of relationships in athletes, especially between teammates. This study aims to explore whether the Big Five personality traits are associated to the perceived quality of relationships between teammates. It is hypothesized that the Big Five are associated to the quality of relationships facets of social support, conflict and depth between teammates. 43 US collegiate athletes participated in the study and completed the International Personality Item Pool and the Quality of Relationships Inventory. Results of the stepwise regression indicated that agreeableness significantly predicted social support, whilst neuroticism predicted relationship depth between teammates. The findings suggest that agreeableness and neuroticism contribute independently to relationship quality between teammates, a relationship that has been long ignored albeit being a vital element of team functioning.