<p>The purpose of this study was twofold: a) To investigate dimensions and a structure of a personal identity in adolescent football players. b) To investigate a link between the players' athletic identity as a part of the personal identity and their self-esteem. An interview guide was made according to the objectives. Seven adolescent football players (four girls and three boys), who all played for the national team, were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed. Interesting parts were noticed and illustrative quotations were used to present the results. </p><p> Twelve identity dimensions were found, six of them had not been regarded in prior studies. Football got a lot of attention in the personal identity but other dimensions were also important. Thus, football did not always have the highest priority in the participants’ lives. The relation between identity importance and prioritized behavior seemed more complicated than prior research have suggested. Public attention due to athletic success was one of the factors enhancing self-esteem. Athletic failures did, according to the participants, affect their self-esteem, in different amount however. </p><p> The author discusses the results in relation to relevant literature in the identity and self-esteem area. Identity commitment theory (Stryker, 1980; Stryker & Serpe, 1994) seemed difficult to apply to the result. The link between the participants’ athletic identity and their self-esteem seemed to be more complex than prior studies have shown. It is suggested that the discrepancy between the actual-self and the ideal-self (Higgins, 1987, 1989), the disruption of the identity feedback loop (Burke, 1991) and perfectionism (Flett & Hewitt, 2002) has a stronger affect on the adolescent football players than the need for self-enhancement (Leary, 1999; Leary & Baumeister, 2000). </p><p> The study implicates that significant others in the athletes’ surrounding ought to emphasize other dimensions of the athletes’ personal identity to avoid athletic identity foreclosure, thus prevent unsuccessful career transitions.</p>

The purpose of this study was twofold: a) To investigate dimensions and a structure of a personal identity in adolescent football players. b) To investigate a link between the players' athletic identity as a part of the personal identity and their self-esteem. An interview guide was made according to the objectives. Seven adolescent football players (four girls and three boys), who all played for the national team, were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed. Interesting parts were noticed and illustrative quotations were used to present the results. Twelve identity dimensions were found, six of them had not been regarded in prior studies. Football got a lot of attention in the personal identity but other dimensions were also important. Thus, football did not always have the highest priority in the participants’ lives. The relation between identity importance and prioritized behavior seemed more complicated than prior research have suggested. Public attention due to athletic success was one of the factors enhancing self-esteem. Athletic failures did, according to the participants, affect their self-esteem, in different amount however. The author discusses the results in relation to relevant literature in the identity and self-esteem area. Identity commitment theory (Stryker, 1980; Stryker & Serpe, 1994) seemed difficult to apply to the result. The link between the participants’ athletic identity and their self-esteem seemed to be more complex than prior studies have shown. It is suggested that the discrepancy between the actual-self and the ideal-self (Higgins, 1987, 1989), the disruption of the identity feedback loop (Burke, 1991) and perfectionism (Flett & Hewitt, 2002) has a stronger affect on the adolescent football players than the need for self-enhancement (Leary, 1999; Leary & Baumeister, 2000). The study implicates that significant others in the athletes’ surrounding ought to emphasize other dimensions of the athletes’ personal identity to avoid athletic identity foreclosure, thus prevent unsuccessful career transitions.

Muscle dysmorphia is a relatively new psychological disorder primarily affecting males who engage in weightlifting or bodybuilding. Individuals with this disorder are obsessed with the idea that their body is not sufficiently lean or muscular when compared to others and engage in several, risky behaviors (i.e., frequent exercise sessions, anabolic steroid use, structured diets) to increase muscularity. As obtaining and maintaining a muscular physique is so important to his or her self-worth, an individual may have little insight to how their behaviors are affecting their social and occupational lives and are reluctant to seek out psychological treatment. The purpose of this study was to assess obligation to exercise, motivation and reason to exercise, athletic identity, and behaviors of muscle dysmorphia and examine their relationship to insight and recognition of criteria for muscle dysmorphia through correlation and regression tests. Participants (N = 85) completed a series of questionnaires to assess the independent variables and were then administered two questionnaires designed for the study to assess insight to any criteria participants might be experiencing and recognition of criteria in a case vignette also designed for the study. Analyses of results showed that participants with a higher athletic identity and more behaviors of muscle dysmorphia had a higher level of insight than participants with low athletic identity and fewer behaviors of muscle dysmorphia; on the other hand, individuals with more behaviors of muscle dysmorphia had a lower recognition of criteria of muscle dysmorphia than those with fewer behaviors. These findings support the notion that individuals participating in athletics and exercises to enhance muscularity have varying levels of insight to their preoccupation with improving their body shape.

Thesis (M.S.)--Miami University, Dept. of Physical Education, Health, and Sport Studies, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 48-55).

The focus of this study is injured female netball players‟ motivation when they return to their sport from serious injuries. The purpose of the study is to provide a rich description of the motivation which allows these players to return to their sport and continue in their chosen field. Motivation is a vital component in injury rehabilitation, as it provides the drive that allows rehabilitation to occur. Two theories of motivation are examined in this study, namely the achievement goal theory of motivation and the theory of intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation and amotivation. These theories highlight the argument that motivation occupies a continuum between being internally or externally determined. A qualitative phenomenological perspective was used to investigate the motivation of injured netball players. This made it possible to explore individual players‟ experiences of their injury. A semi-structured interview was conducted with each player to allow each player‟s experiences to be heard. The interviews were then transcribed. Thematic content analysis of the transcribed interviews revealed two main themes: the inevitable return and identity. The analysis showed that, for these netball players, their motivation to return to playing netball was based on an internal drive to regain an inherent part of their identity. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted

Lesbian athletes face criticism and discrimination from coaches, fans, and society. Researchers have suggested that female sport is stigmatized due to perceived masculinity and homosexuality, causing athletes to focus on heterosexual and feminine behaviors. The dichotomy of athleticism and femininity in sports has been extensively studied in the heterosexual population. However, the impact of the overt discrimination and pressure to conform to societal standards of femininity and heterosexuality has not been studied in lesbians. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative study utilizing survey design was to examine the relationship among sport participation, gender schema, athletic identity, and internalized homophobia. A network-based snowball sampling method was used to survey 226 lesbians, 18 years of age and older. Surveys issued via Internet included the Bem Sex Role Inventory, Athletic Identity Measurement Scale, and the Lesbian Internalized Homophobia Scale. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, t tests, and Pearson Correlation. No significant difference in sports participation was found in lesbians with different gender schemas. There was a significant difference in the athletic identity of participants who were more or less active in sports, but there was no significant difference in internalized homophobia for participants who were more or less active in sports. There was no relationship between athletic identity and internalized homophobia. This study contributes to the existing literature on women and sport. It promotes social change by further investigating the influence of gender schema, athletic identity, and internalized homophobia related to behaviors and attitudes in sports.

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