Nurturing Growth in the Aftermath of Adversity: A Narrative Review of Evidence-Based Practice

Abstract

Adversity itself is never a good thing and no amount of growth can undo the pain of such experiences; it will not make everything better and put an end to any suffering. Although we do not recommend adversity as a pathway to growth, given that adverse experiences currently reflect the harsh reality of life for many involved in sport, how can we learn from such adverse experiences to bring about positive change in sport? While there has been significant advancement in our conceptual and theoretical understanding of growth following adversity in sport, there remains limited attention on applied interventions and the uptake of this field of research. The aim of this chapter, therefore, is to provide a narrative review of evidence-based interventions from the wider growth literature to consider what we can learn from them to inform future interventions in applied sport psychology. To conclude, not everyone will experience growth and nor should growth become an expectation; however, ignoring the potential existence of growth will be unhelpful to bringing about positive change in sport.