8.36: Personality Disorders

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Everyone, who has played sports before, has heard the saying “there is no I in Team.” That means that noone is able to take all the blame for a win or lose, it is a team afford. However if a athlete suffers from a personality disorder, such as narcissism, more than likely its all about them, and what they do to make the team better. They tend to believe that without them, the team is nothing.

Narcissism: is essentially self love that is characterized by grandiosity, self-focus, self importance and self-absorption with a lack of compassion and empathy for others.
- In regards to sport performance, a study in 2002 by Wallace and Baumeister, found that narcissists performed better in all conditions that provided greater self-enhancement opportunities. There is a reasonable expectation of those with higher narcissistic levels to have a different cognitive approach and behavior to the sport than those with low levels of narcissism.
- Wallace and Baumeister did four studies and across them, narcissists were found to have a higher value of performance under conditions of high pressure, challenge, and evaluation compared to those with low levels of narcissism.
- Narcissism is a very important variable in relationship to performance under pressure.
  - Pressure is defined as all situations in which there is a perceived importance in performing well.
- Sport provides a stage upon which an opportunity for glory, public evaluation, admiration from others exhibitionism, demonstration of ability and focus on other’s attention can be fostered to extreme levels and exploited in a potentially acceptable manner.
- Therefore, due to the amount of pressure placed upon the athlete to perform in sport, narcissists will strive to succeed in order to better foster their self image in their own eyes as well as the eyes of others.
- Common symptoms include:
  - a lack of feeling, empathy, or concern for others
  - a willingness to take advantage of others
  - excessive feelings of self-importance
  - exaggerated personal achievements and abilities
  - an expectation to be seen as superior without cause
  - a fantasy or preoccupation with power, wealth, beauty, personal abilities, or success
  - a demand for favorable treatment without appropriate reasons
  - an insiststance on being the object of admiration and attention

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