RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OPTIMISM/DISPOSITIONAL PESSIMISM, PERFORMANCE AND AGE IN COMPETITIVE SOCCER PLAYERS

Optimism is an important variable to consider in the comprehension of the psychological characteristics associated with peak performance. Some studies stand out a positive relationship between optimism, performance and age of athletes, although is necessary more research on the subject. Taking these aspects into consideration, this research proposes: 1) analyze the possible relationship between optimism and performance in sport and 2) explore possible differences in the trait of optimism depending on the age of athletes. The sample consisted of 151 male soccer players from a club of Madrid, aged between 14 and 24 years old. The variables evaluated were age, mean sport performance and trait optimism. The results indicate a moderate and positive relationship between optimism and athletic performance. There is also a non significant trend in optimism variable depending on the category by age, increasing optimism with increasing age of the athletes. Results are discussed.