Personality and the Persistant Non-swimmer

Abstract

Abstract Non-swimmers attending any course of instruction can be divided into two categories: those who having received previous instruction are still unable to swim (category 1) and those who have never received previous instruction (category 2). Analysis of the scores on Maudsley Personality Inventories given to university male non-swimmers indicated that students in category 1 had a lower extraversion mean than those in category 2, but results were only significant at the 10 percent level. No significant differences were found in neuroticism scores. Junior M.P.I.'s were given to all 11- and 12-year-old boys in a variety of secondary schools in order to obtain norms for these particular schools. A comparison of the extraversion means for swimmers and persistent non-swimmers at each of these age levels in the combined results of all the schools indicated highly significant differences (P<.01), the non-swimmers being more introverted. Highly significant differences in neuroticism means were found at the 1...