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Which types are most common for Olympic Athletes?

Such Irony

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When I think of athletes, I think of the cognitive function Se, which is the strongest in MBTI SP types. Yet, in order to be an olympic athlete, you need an extraordinary amount of self-discipline and be able to stick to a rigorous practice routine. This is something, I associate more with J types. I would think sensing would have an advantage over intuition since it is sports, which are highly physical and in the moment. I'm guessing SPs with a strong J side might be the best contenders? I'm not sure SJ types would be as inclined as SPs to take the physical risks that are needed to perform at an elite level in a given sport. I suppose it depends on the sport- some have a greater risk of injury than others.

What about T/F? I'm guessing its not the most important factor but I would think T would edge out just because I associate the Olympics with competition and typically T types are seen as more competitive and F types as more cooperative.

E vs I is interesting. I've seen alot of both types in the Olympics. I think I's would gravitate more towards individual events like the marathon while Es would gravitate more towards team sports. I think an introvert would have an easier time with the self-focus aspects and sacrificing a significant part of one's social life to devote to practicing. On the other hand, I would say introverts would be far more publicity shy and if you're going to be an Olympic athlete, you have to be prepared for millions of people around the world watching you and tracking your performance.

Resilience is also a very important aspect, which goes beyond the MBTI. In a way it would be inversely related to neuroticism in the big five system. The ability to keep cool under intense pressure. The ability to not get discouraged by setbacks. If you're an aspiring Olympic athlete, there will probably be several on the way.

On the enneagram side, I think type 3 would be by far the most common. This is the type that seeks success and sets goals.
 

KDude

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I don't think it matters honestly. I was watching an episode of Discovery Atlas last night, and it was about China. It profiled various aspects of modern life, and one was a profile of a 12 year old who had been training all her life (away from her parents), and was hoping to qualify for the 2008 olympic team (she was a gymnast). Thing is, she was taken away from her home when was 2. Who the heck knows what her "type" is, if there really is such a thing. She went through brutal training regimens, and was already toned and muscular as a little 12 year old. She was forced into that level of discipline. Granted, she admitted being homesick and crying a lot, so maybe she wasn't inherently a natural fit, but her actions spoke something different.
 

Thursday

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The ones that excel with athletics will have Se high in their function order, which is often SP temperaments, but definitely not exclusive. Its more about bodily/kinesthetic intelligence and all the other trappings of a champion.
 

SilkRoad

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A lot of athletes seem like ISTPs to me but I am not sure if that is me subscribing to stereotypes. I also agree that the really driven/high-achieving ones seem like 3 is likely. However, I'm not sure how likely a type 3 ISTP is... Hmmm. I'm not good at typing people, anyway.
 

Elfboy

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KDude

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Read my post earlier about Chinese recruitment process. They take little kids from their homes at 2 or 3 and train them till they're crying in pain. They barely see their parents. They didn't have time to develop naturally.. they could just be psychologically engineered to be "SP" like.
 

jixmixfix

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Read my post earlier about Chinese recruitment process. They take little kids from their homes at 2 or 3 and train them till they're crying in pain. They barely see their parents. They didn't have time to develop naturally.. they could just be psychologically engineered to be "SP" like.

My answer was SPs would gravitate towards it because of their personality. I remember reading and listening to lectures in my psychology class that people were basically born into their hobbies, activities, jobs etc that they enjoy. Being forced to train could go against their motives for sure.
 

Such Irony

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I don't think it matters honestly. I was watching an episode of Discovery Atlas last night, and it was about China. It profiled various aspects of modern life, and one was a profile of a 12 year old who had been training all her life (away from her parents), and was hoping to qualify for the 2008 olympic team (she was a gymnast). Thing is, she was taken away from her home when was 2. Who the heck knows what her "type" is, if there really is such a thing. She went through brutal training regimens, and was already toned and muscular as a little 12 year old. She was forced into that level of discipline. Granted, she admitted being homesick and crying a lot, so maybe she wasn't inherently a natural fit, but her actions spoke something different.

Read my post earlier about Chinese recruitment process. They take little kids from their homes at 2 or 3 and train them till they're crying in pain. They barely see their parents. They didn't have time to develop naturally.. they could just be psychologically engineered to be "SP" like.

Yeah, that's sad what they do with those Chinese children. All so they might win a gold medal one day. It's just a freakin' game. It's hard to respect a country that treats their athletes like this. It's not like these kids chose that.

Here's some photos of young chinese kids being trained. Some look like they are in great pain and don't want to be there.

When I posted this thread, I wasn't thinking about chinese children being taken away from their homes at very young ages against their will. I'm thinking about people who voluntarily choose this path.
 

Usehername

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I don't think discipline is anti-SP--I've met a lot of disciplined athletes who are clearly SPs. Every sport has levels and rankings, and you can't play against the best without disciplining yourself to train hard. They were usually the people who joked around before and after practice, and got pure joy out of performing well during practice.

Plus SPs are usually more aware of physical appearances, and they treat their body like a piece of art. That means they're working out all the time.
 

KDude

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I don't think discipline is anti-SP--I've met a lot of disciplined athletes who are clearly SPs. Every sport has levels and rankings, and you can't play against the best without disciplining yourself to train hard. They were usually the people who joked around before and after practice, and got pure joy out of performing well during practice.

Plus SPs are usually more aware of physical appearances, and they treat their body like a piece of art. That means they're working out all the time.

There are plenty stoner ISFPS with man tits, and plenty "crack in the butt" hanging from the pants, old fart plumber ISTPs.

Rumors of jet pilot pornstar-ness is vastly overrated.
 

Such Irony

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There are plenty stoner ISFPS with man tits, and plenty "crack in the butt" hanging from the pants, old fart plumber ISTPs.

Rumors of jet pilot pornstar-ness is vastly overrated.

So maybe SPs are more likely to embrace the extremes? :smile:
 
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