Everything people do as adolescence has a huge impact on their physical and mental health in adulthood, whether it be positive or negative. According to recent research, instilling health behaviors at a young age have positively impacted the overall physical and mental health as they enter and progress through adulthood. These people have seen positive benefits from participating in physical activity, such as sports, and has been seen to be influential in one’s self-esteem and self-concept. Consequently, those who choose not to engage in any type of physical activity have experienced more physical and mental illnesses as they progress through adulthood.
Maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle throughout their progression of life not only improved their overall health, but have delayed the decline of their self-esteem and self-concept.According to Collins, Spearman’s Rank Correlation and Analysis of Variance (ANOYA) revealed that of the 514 college students surveyed, those who participated in sports prior to college reported self-esteem and happiness than non-sport participants (Collins 2012).
This study found that a lifetime of sport participation beginning in youth and adolescence improved physical and psychological well-being of individuals as they enter young adulthood (Collins 2012). Richman and Shaffer conducted studies that addressed college self-esteem as it relates to precollege sports participants (Richman 2010). Their study revealed that of the 220 college females examined, earlier participation in sports was positively correlated with the intervening variables and self-esteem(Richman 2010). Similarly, Chen conducted a study on college students to see if there was an association with sports participation and positive self-esteem through the mediating variables of perceived peer acceptance and sport self-concept (Chen 2007).
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According to the WHO, World Health Organization, approximately 3.2 million deaths occur each year that are attributable to insufficient physical activity (WHO 2016). These staggering statistics are concerning since physical activity significantly declines through childhood and adolescence. Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health issues of the 21st century. For instance, Talbot asserted that involvement in sports can help children develop respect for their body as well as respect for others (Talbot 2001). Talbot also stated that sport participation contributes to positive development of mind and body leading to higher self-confidence and self-esteem (Talbot 2001). Adolescence is a transitional period, which can be challenging for boys and girls and as a result they may suffer low self-esteem; especially in terms of physical appearance, athletic competence, and academic competence.
Literature supports a positive association between sport participation and an increase in self-esteem. Much of the research has focused on adolescents and their Perceived Sport Competence (PSC). Wallace states a physically active child will have a better chance of being a physically active adult (WHO 2016). Self-esteem was found to be the highest in the youngest group and early adolescence, declines through middle adolescence and slightly recovers in late adolescence (WHO 2016). Survival of the fittest is a story of who we are as individuals and begins with our ancient ancestors and continues to this day, as we are forever evolving—interacting, responding, and adapting daily to the changing forces of life in our personal environment.
Pumping “up” our genes can make us happy. Wallace adamantly states, that no one is born with the same genes and cannot be treated the same (WHO 2016). Being active increases our self-esteem and self-concept and this is proven in studies conducted on all ages. Chen conducted a study on college students to see if there was an association with sports participation and positive self-esteem through the mediating variables of perceived peer acceptance and sport self-concept (Chen 2007). Findings indicated that sport participation was positively correlated with peer acceptance and sport self-concept. Findings indicated that sport participation was positively correlated with peer acceptance and sport self-concept (Chen 2007).
Sport self-concept and peer acceptance were found to act as mediators between sport participation and self-esteem (Harter 1985). Researchers discovered that when there is self-esteem and self-concept, that early sport participation plays an important role in adolescent happiness and self-esteem, through mediating variables of sport self-concept and peer acceptance (Chen 2007). It can be assumed from the reviewed literature that early sport participation has a positive effect. The current study of Effects of Early Sport Participation on Self-esteem and Happiness, participants were male and female undergraduate students, with and without prior sport experience (Collins 2012).
They completed the survey tool electronically via online survey software called SurveyMonkey or in-person via pencil and paper. The final number of subjects surveyed in this study was 514 (Collins 2012). The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a significant relationship among precollege sports participation, self-esteem, and happiness. The report proved that there are perceptions of the impact of sports participation on their happiness. Their findings indicated that students who continued sport participation reported experiencing significantly more positive affect, or happiness, than negative affect (Collins 2012).
Klein and Emrich state that the relationship between sport participation, personality development, self-concept and self-esteem has repeatedly been discussed within the framework of legitimation discussions in the sector of school sport (Klein 2017). These contradictions concern, inter alia, the direction of causal associations of the investigated features. Sport and physical activity are often attributed in general with personality development impact, but this is not clearly and empirically established in this generalized point of view (Klein 2017).
Character development is often mentioned in many physical education curriculum documents. Thus, it remains a realistic question to prove or refuse these assumed effects, which cannot be answered in a general and simple point of view. Therefore, the aim of the investigation is the relationship between sports activity, motor performance, and physical self-concepts. The extent to which the physical self-concept is influenced by stable personality traits is another subject of this study. The linking of the self-concept approach with the older, partly controversial trait approach should illuminate some new aspects. One further aim is the construction of a short scale to measure two important aspects of the physical self-concept.
Also, Klein and Emrich states that self-concept is influence by personality factors, whereby positive relationships are shown between self-esteem (affective-evaluative components of the self-concept) and extraversion as well as between self-esteem and emotional stability (Klein 2017). Moderately positive relationships were found between self-concept here also specifically the athletic domain of self-evaluation) with extraversion and openness for experiences (intellect). A slightly positive relationship was found with emotional stability (Klein 2017).
Thus, adolescents with a negative self-concept were more likely to have problems dealing with development challenges than with a positive self-concept. According to Conzelmann and Muller, no convincing proof has yet been provided that sport actually promotes personality development (Conzelmann). However, the available data suggests that cognitive personality traits (e.g., self-concept) can be influenced more strongly through sporting activity than by static personality traits (global traits). Conzelmann and Muller assessed both of own physical attractiveness and own athleticism differ by gender (Conzelmann). Girls see themselves somewhat more critically and/or they are somewhat less satisfied than boys.
Regarding sport participation, there was a difference in both the assessment of own physical attractiveness and the assessment of own athleticism (Conzelmann). Both were assessed somewhat more positively by adolescents who are active in sports than by those who are not active. It is, however, not possible to establish a causal relationship in the form of an effect of sports participation on the physical self-concept from their data. Competing explanations are, on the one hand, an influence on the physical self-concept through sporting activity (socialization hypothesis) and, on the other hand, taking up sporting activity was able to supply findings that were more in favor of the socialization hypothesis (Conzelmann).
Within all the studies that are listed, the results are very similar no matter whether it was conducted in the United States or in Germany, etc. People are people that have a commonality in their body and emotions, their self-esteem and their self-concept. The results may also apply to similar universities in the same region. Self-esteem and self-concept is prevalent in any situation at any time and any place, whether being white, black, Asian, or German. As Chen referenced, the growing body of literature that indicates sport participation increases happiness (Chen 2007). It is a proven fact, that happiness is the key element in self-esteem and self-concept. Also, results of thousands of tests throughout the world, prove that sport participation contributes to more subjective well-being, or happiness.
Work Cited
- Alfermann, D.; Stiller, J.; Wurth, S. Das physische Selbstkonzept bei sportlich aktiven Jugendlichen in Abhangigkeit von sportlicher Leistungsentwicklung und Geschlect. Pschol. 2003 (CrossRef)
- Chen, W., Chen, C, Lin, Y., & Chen T. “Sport Participation and Self-esteem as Mediated by Perceived Peer Acceptance and Sport Self-concept in Taiwanese College Students.” 2007.
- Social Behavior and Personality. www.thesportjournal.org/effectsofearlysportparticipationonselfesteemandhappiness Collins, Nandini & Collins, Mathur. 2012. “Effects of Early Sport Participation on Self-esteem and Happiness.” (CrossRef)
- Conzelmann, A. & Muller, M. Sport und Selfstkonzeptentwicklung: Ein Situationsbericht aus entwicklungstheoretischer Perspektive.
- Z.SportpsycHarter, S. (1985). Competence as a dimension of self-evaluation: Toward a comprehensive model of self0worth. In R.H. Leahy (Ed.), The development of the self. New York: Academic Press. www.thesportjournal.org/effectsofearlysportparticipationonselfesteemandhappiness
- Klein, Markus & Emrich, Eike (2017). Institute of Sports Science, Saarland University 66123, Germany; [email protected] www.mdpi.com
- Richman, E. & Shaffer, D. (2010) If you let me play sports. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 24 (2), 189 – 199. (CrossRef)
- Talbot, M. (2001). The case for physical education. In G. Doll-Tepper & D. Scoretz (Eds.) World summit on physical education. Berlin, Germany: ICSSPE, 39-50. www.thesportjournal.org/effectsofearlysportparticipationonselfesteemandhappiness
- Wagnsson, S., Lindwall, M., & Gustafsson, H. (2014). Participation in organized sport and self-esteem across adolescence: The mediating role of perceived sport competence. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology. www.thesportjournal.org/effectsofearlysportparticipationonselfesteemandhappiness
- WHO. (n.d.). Global strategy on diet, physical activity, and health: Childhood overweight and obesity. Retrieved March 2016 from http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/childhood/en
