A Psycho-Analysis Of The Rough Rugby Player

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31440, 5 August 1967, Page 13

A Psycho-Analysis Of The Rough Rugby Player

rpHE most reasonable and -*■ civilised persons in ordinary life sometimes do all sorts of anti-social acts when they get on a Rugby field. This has puzzled many followers of the game and in an effort to help solve the mystery Mr G. Wilson, of the University of Canterbury, has been asked for his views on the subject Mr Wilson, who will shortly take up a position as a research phychologist at the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London, said: — “Generally, the individual who continues to play Rugby in adulthood has a strong need to assert himself physically, being possessed of weight strength, or other bodily attributes which have little value in relation to most modern ways of achieving respect and social dominance.

“The Rugby player, then, is a frustrated man, having the ability to acquit himself well in a bout of fisticuffs but not being permitted socially to do so. He is, therefore, more predisposed to transgress this particular rule of society.

“It is widely agreed among psychologists that the evolutionary nature of man is such that, like most other animals, he is born with a strong predisposition to show physical aggression when his aims are frustrated. The overt expression of hostility is, however, necessarily controlled by society, with the provision of certain substitutes and ‘safety valves’ such as violent television programmes and sports. “The rules of society are, nevertheless, sometimes transgressed, and overt aggression may occur when provocation is extreme or the effectiveness of the individual’s socialisation is reduced by alcohol. “The question which has been asked is why should the situation obtaining in a game of Rugby be so conducive to overt and socially unacceptable displays of aggression such as punching and ear-biting? “Naturally, this behaviour must be regarded as multicausational, but it may be hypothesised that some of the most important general factors are as follows: “As the result of competition for team places, cheering crowds, and the social rewards of success, the motivation of the players in a football match tends to

become very Intense, and therefore the amount of frustration experienced if success is not achieved is comparatively great. It was noted above that frustration is thfe natural stimulus for aggression. “Another factor contributing to the occurrence of temper outbursts on the field is the temporary physiological state of the

body. The high state of activation, particularly of the musclature, is a condition common to both exertion and anger. “In addition, the energy transfer involved results in a depression of higher brain processes including those which comprise the sdcial conscience, particularly as the individual grows increasingly fatigued toward the latter stages of the game. In this respect, tiredness and alcohol may be said to have similar effects. “One other factor which facilitates the manifestation of aggression on the Rugby field is the comparative ease of avoiding discovery in the early stages. A karate punch clearly visible in a game of scrabble or tennis, for example, is considerably more difficult to detect in a ruck. Once started, this behaviour readily spirals into an open brawl.

“The above is necessarily an oversimplified account since the causes are undoubtedly very complex and each particular Incident will have some unique precipitating circumstances as well.

such as a grudge held over from a previous match, religious differences between the teams, and other factors,” said Mr Wilson.