Journal of Psychology & Behavioral Science

The Personality of Elite Big Wave Surfers
Ronald Stolberg PhD; Christian Glasgow PhD; R. Casey Aguinaldo PsyD

Abstract
The ancient sport of surfing has been growing in popularity as both elite and non-elite surfers grow in numbers. Surfing has also been introduced as a clinical intervention to a diverse range of populations with promising results for groups diagnosed with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance abuse. The current study seeks to investigate the personalities measured by the Big Five traits of elite surfers and other elite athletes. The sample of elite surfers was compared to the normative sample, professional level baseball players, and an international sample of everyday surfers on the Five Factor Inventory. The results show elite surfers scored significantly higher on Extroversion and lower on Neuroticism than the normative sample. They scored higher on Neuroticism and Openness, as well as lower on Agreeableness and Conscientiousness than the elite comparison sample of baseball players. Insight to the differences is discussed.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jpbs.v11n1a1