The rate of participants leaving organized sport has increased. Does sport participation provide youth with positive experiences or negative ones? Burnout in sport occurs frequently and most coaches and players experience difficulty in diagnosing, preventing, and treating this problem. / Once the causes of burnout are found, interventions to decrease its effects should be more successful. Additional research should determine how and when to intervene. Sport offers a unique context for the study of social processes and relationships. I used a case study approach and incorporated focused interviews. / The subjects for this study were ten gymnasts ranging in age from 10 to 16. Subjects were initially and informally interviewed by a panel of experts who used their own line of questioning. In addition, the investigator conducted an extensive interview with all subjects. / Also included as subjects were the mothers and coaches (or ex-coaches) of the gymnasts. Subjects were observed for eight weeks, 1 to 2 hours per week. / The data was analyzed from a multi-disciplinary perspective. Triangulation prevented the investigator from accepting too readily the validity of initial impressions and provided a means of more directly assessing the reliability and validity of the data collection. The goal of this type of analysis was to arrive at an integrated understanding of the processes being studied. / Socially learned blocks can cause early termination, therefore a positive experience can make that difference in the quality of the aport experience. Broader perspectives in psychology and sociology will increase the understanding as to why some children experience sport burnout and others incorporate it into their lifestyle. / Burnout was determined to be a multidimensional response requiring consideration from both psychological and sociological perspectives. In the case of the subjects used in this study regular participation in sport comprises a process replete with varied social interactions, acquired deterrents as well as enhancers of personal development. These were revealed during the indepth interviews with subjects. The ways in which the gymnasts integrated environmental stimuli, and dealt with differential social experiences interacted with their personal past experiences, needs and interests, and determined the meaningfulness of gymnastic participation. Certain of these dynamics and mechanics appeared to have generated stress responses which eventually led to burnout. / Future research into causes and treatment can resolve the incidence of attrition. Preventive measures should be addressed rather than attending to the aftermath of burnout with various treatment modalities. Many areas need to be examined, enhanced, and restructured to decrease burnout and to increase the athlete and the environment. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-10, Section: B, page: 5568. / Major Professor: David Pargman. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76521 |
| Contributors | Gerla, Bonita Jene., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 222 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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