Sensation seeking, gender and sport participation among South African students

Abstract

Amongst the personality dispositions, sensation seeking (SS) has special relevance in explaining and predicting types of risk-related behaviours, such as participation in sports containing high risk and even danger. The prevalence of risk-taking in the context of sport, and the impact of gender, was the objective of the present study. All subjects were administered the Sensation-Seeking Scales of Zuckerman Form II and V (SSS-II & V). The results show that male sports participants are higher risk-takers than female participants, thus concurring with the general profile of male and female tendencies concerning sensation seeking behaviour. The resulting data are discussed and explained within the context of Zuckerman's sensation-seeking model.


Keywords: Sensation seeking, Gender, Age, Culture, Sport


South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation Vol.25(2) 2003: 67-76