Beyond Physical Ability: How Personality and Cognitive Flexibility Shape Decision-Making in Competitive Sports

During the last few years, there has been a growing interest amongst researchers in examining the psychological aspects behind an athlete’s thought processes, behaviour, and performance. The present study examines the relationship between personality, cognitive flexibility, and the style of decision-making amongst university athletes, with the aim of understanding how these psychological factors influence athletic performance and coping mechanisms under competitive conditions. A total of 172 athletes (86 males and 86 females), aged 18–24 years, participated in the study. Data were collected using standardized self-report measures, including the Big Five Inventory, the Decision Style Questionnaire, and the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory. The Independent samples t-test results demonstrated clear psychological differences between team and individual athletes in mean scores. Team athletes scored higher on agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness, and also showed a greater inclination toward avoidant decision-making. However, individual athletes showed a tendency toward more dependent decision-making. The results of correlation analysis revealed that alternative cognitive flexibility is positively correlated with vigilant and confident decision-making regardless of the type of athletes. In individual athletes, high levels of personality traits corresponded to low levels of dependency and intuition in decision-making. On the contrary, in team athletes, personality traits positively correlate with avoidance and anxiety in decision-making. It can be concluded that personality traits and cognitive flexibility should be taken into account in coaching to improve decision-making and eliminate anxiety in athletes.