THE INCIDENCE OF MACHIAVELLIANISM IN EARLY AND MIDDLE ADOLESCENT PHYSICALLY ACTIVE GIRLS

This paper aims to find out if regular and intensive physical activity in the life of adolescent girls may affect their moral principles in behaviour towards other people, especially a personal tendency to be unemotional, detached from conventional morality and manipulative. The aim of the study is to demonstrate unequivocal effect (direct or mediate) of physical activity on the occurrence of Machiavellian personal features in behaviour and thinking among early and middle adolescent girls. This study compared the control group (non-physically active) and experimental group (physically active) of Slovak girls aged 11 to 15 years old. A modified version of Christie and Geis's 1970 questionnaire was used. Basic somatic parameters were obtained and related to Machiavellian personality traits. Machiavellianism was found to correlate with age (r=0.19; p<0.05). The direct impact of sport is significantly evident among 13-year-old physically active girls (p=0.06), only, as they showed higher scores of Machiavellianism than non-physically active 13-year-old girls. The mediate impact of Machiavellianism (through body habitus) was significant. Correlations with body height of (r=0.108; p<0.049) were found. Machiavellianism showed a significant impact among 13-year-old girls. The mediate impact of sport was significantly proved in physically active girls at the age of 12 (body height, r=0.348; p=0.05; body weight, r=0.332; p=0.063), and in non-physically active girls at the age of 15 (BMI, r=0.298; p=0.073; WHR, r=0.479; p=0.003). Physical activity has a direct impact on the formation of the psyche among sport-oriented young girls. Sport supports and also accelerates Machiavellianism already evident at an early age. (C) 2017 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.UK