Personality, stress, and injuries in professional ballet dancers

Abstract

Twenty-nine soloist and principal dancers (mean age, 29.08 years) from America's two most celebrated ballet companies were administered questionnaires measur ing personality (API), occupational stress (OES), strain (PSQ), and coping mechanisms (PRQ), and injury pat terns. The results revealed that male dancers demon strated significantly more negative personality traits and psychological distress than female dancers or men in the general population. In addition, physical stress and personality traits, characteristic of the "overachiever," distinguished injured dancers. It is suggested that clas sical ballet's emphasis on the ballerina may be at odds with a masculine identity in male dancers. Furthermore, the qualities that lead to success in this profession may contribute to injuries if carried to an extreme.