• English
    • Welsh
  • English 
    • English
    • Welsh
  • Login
Search DSpace:
  • Home
  • Research at Cardiff Met
  • Library Services
  • Contact Us
View item 
  • DSpace home
  • Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences
  • Taught Degrees (Sport and Health Sciences)
  • Masters Degrees (Sport)
  • View item
  • DSpace home
  • Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences
  • Taught Degrees (Sport and Health Sciences)
  • Masters Degrees (Sport)
  • View item
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Retirement experiences of elite swimmers in relation to athletic identity, social support and the physical self

Thumbnail
View/open
Chidley_Rebecca_MSc_Sport_Psychology.pdf (413.8Kb)
Author
Chidley, Rebecca
Date
2012-09
Type
Thesis
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract
Objectives: Exploration of the retirement experiences of elite swimmers with a focus on the relationships between athletic identity, social support and the physical self. Design: Retrospective semi-structured qualitative interviews. Method: 9 elite swimmers (3 males and 6 females) who had previously competed at Olympic Games, World Championships, European Championships and/or Commonwealth Games were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim; participants‟ anonymity has been safeguarded throughout the study. Results: The development of an elite swimmer‟s identity was influenced by the physical self, with loss of identity being triggered by weight gain during retirement. Establishing an athletic identity and sport based support network facilitated the development of elite swimmers; however, a lack of support to maintain athletic identity or cope with its loss caused retirement distress. Finally, receiving dietary information from their social support network developed participant‟s performance and facilitated a smooth retirement. Conclusion: Athletic identity, social support and the physical self were linked during retirement. The dedication required to excel in elite sport was reflected in the participant‟s narrow identity that focused on the athletic portion of the self; this identity impacted upon relationships within the participants‟ support networks and the focus on their physical capacities. Consequently, athletic identity, the physical self and social support may lead to retirement distress as participant‟s developed a new identity and support network to combat the loss of physical capacities experienced during this challenging time.
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10369/7121
Collections
  • Masters Degrees (Sport) [168]

Related items

Showing items related by title, author, subject and abstract.

  • Thumbnail

    Adjusting to retirement: changing views of normality 

    Hobbis, Shirley (Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2012)
    An increasingly ageing population in the U.K. has generated interest in fostering healthy and active ageing, both at a societal level and from the point of view of government economic strategies for the future (Jacobzone, ...
  • Thumbnail

    The Role of Social Support in the Transition Process of Elite Injured Swimmers 

    Shamlian, Michael (University of Wales, 2011)
    Objective: The aim of this study was to determine and examine the importance of social support during a career transition from a resulting injury in swimming. Design and method: Athletes participated in semi-structured, ...
  • Thumbnail

    Identity and Swimming 

    Todd, Jennifer (University of Wales Institute Cardiff, 2010)
    Brown (1985), Hastings et al. (1989) and more recently Stevenson (2002) have looked into the subculture of swimming and attempted gain understanding as to what affects an individual’s agency to participate and withdraw or ...

Browse

DSpace at Cardiff MetCommunities & CollectionsBy issue dateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis collectionBy issue dateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

My Account

Login

Statistics

Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

DSpace software copyright © 2002-2015  DuraSpace
Contact us | Send feedback | Administrator