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[MMA Fighters]. Retrieved May, 6, 2014, from: http://ctsportslawblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/mma.jpg

Male and female athletes differ not only physiologically, but psychologically as well. The mental differences between female and male athletes are often overlooked. Male athletes show more signs of aggression than their female counterparts, but this is common knowledge. The reason behind this is the type of sports men choose to play. Males participate in more contact sports, in which aggressive behavior is typically rewarded. Therefore, that behavior is positively reinforced and aggression is then ingrained into the male brain. Another study shows that while not all athletes are aggressive, once the more apprehensive players come into contact with the aggressors, they conform to that behavior. Other studies also show that higher levels of testosterone in men and repeated brain injuries from contact sports add to higher aggression in male athletes. But how can we blame these athletes at the elite levels who have to take whatever competitive edge they can. Sports that legitimize aggression (e.g., football, hockey, etc.) have been shown to slow a person’s moral development. This shows that male athletes may have different moral values than females due to the aggression of male-dominant contact sports.

Though there are not many studies on female sports psychology, there are some hard facts. However, there wasn’t much elaboration behind these facts, therefore I had included some personal experiences to back up each fact.

Women have a harder time playing team sports than men. This is something I have always experienced. I have played volleyball for seven years, and in four of those years at least one player has quit. One issue I’ve seen that adds to this is that women take criticism much more personally. From many outside stories from male athletes, I’ve concluded that men are able to take criticism from teammates much easier. Women are also more likely to carry emotional discourse from outside of the sport into their competitions. This often leads to competition between teammates and sometimes exclusion. If a female athlete does not like a teammate, they will often not work together, or not even attempt to work together, during a competition.

Women develop psychological stress much quicker than men.

I have had the luck to repeatedly watch both men and women play volleyball. The differences in mental toughness between men and women are blatant on the volleyball court. Volleyball is a game of mistakes, meaning that the only way the other team scores is because someone messes up. It is common to see many female players nosedive after only a couple bad plays. However, men often brush off their mistakes and seek reassurance in their teammates. I have seen many female volleyball players come off the court sobbing because they were playing poorly, but I have never witnessed a male player cave because of poor performance.

Women are easier motivated by their own achievements than men. In other words, women are more selfish when it comes to team sports. Another thing I have witnessed in my experience is that even though a team works for a common goal, a woman’s reaction to the outcome of a match usually depends on their individual performance. Granted there are exceptions, even if their team wins but the individual plays poorly, she may still react negatively or not celebrate as much as expected.

In conclusion, men do suffer more from aggression in contact sports, but women have a much harder time participating in team sports. In my opinion, with much personal experience to defend this opinion, female athletes play too much with their emotions. Women develop stress easier during sports, but they also let their emotions dictate their actions much more than men. In fact, in volleyball a common goal is to build up mental toughness so that the opponent cannot see that you are struggling with confidence. Male athletes struggle to control aggression, but female athletes struggle to control other emotions.

Works Cited

Gendron, B. The Psychology of Aggression. . Retrieved April 29, 2014, from https://www.whatthefreud.com/the-psychology-of-aggression-in-sports/

Stander, R. Athletics Omnibus- Differences Between Men and Women. . Retrieved April 29, 2014, from http://www.bolandathletics.com/4-5%20The%20difference%20between%20men%20and%20women.pdf