Socio-psychological determinants of athletes' personality as conditions for maintaining favorable interpersonal relations in high-skill dance couples

Abstract

The article examines the socio-psychological determinants of the personality of young men and women engaged in dance sport at the highest levels of athletic achievement. This topic remains underexplored within the fields of social psychology and sports psychology, highlighting the need for further interdisciplinary research within psychology and at the intersection of psychological and sports sciences. The study aims to investigate the socio-psychological determinants of athletes’ personalities as factors contributing to the maintenance of favorable interpersonal relationships in high-level dance couples. The study sample involved 100 highly skilled male and female dancers who compete as sports couples and hold top rankings in the Russian Championship and other competitions of various levels. The study methods included the Five-Factor Personality Questionnaire, the Dyadic Coping Questionnaire by G. Bodenmann, the Marital Coping Questionnaire by M. Bowman, and an author-developed questionnaire assessing interpersonal relationships within dance couples, based on the work of Stolin, Romanova, and Butenko.

Our findings indicate that highly skilled dancers in competitive dance sport report a high level of subjective satisfaction with the interpersonal relationships within their dance duets. Additionally, we identified the level of expression of key personality traits among dancers, including "Extraversion," "Affection," "Self-Control," "Emotional Stability," and "Practicality," as well as their dyadic coping strategies for managing stressful situations. These results contribute to the formation of a socio-psychological profile of highly skilled dancers and provide insights into the essential qualities that facilitate effective interpersonal relationships in the context of ballroom dance partnerships at the highest levels of competition.