Emotions, Interaction and the Injured Sporting Body

Abstract

Based upon a collaborative autoethnographic research project, this article explores from a sociological perspective the emotional dimension of the injured sporting body. It takes as its analytic focus the journey, rehabilitative, emotional and narrative, of two middle-aged, non-élite, middle/long-distance runners who encountered serious, longterm knee injuries. The paper examines in particular the interactional and narrative elements of the rehabilitative journey, focussing on dimensions of the emotion management, emotion work, and emotional intersubjectivity of the researcher/author and her training partner as they struggled to contend with the liminality of the injured athletic role, and to maintain positive identities in the face of serious threat to their running selves.

The Marathon Journey of My Body-Self and Performing Identity

“…Theresa is a 'runner'. Yes, the real deal, a real runner (Collinson, 2005;Collinson & Hockey, 2007;Hockey, 2005;Smith, 1998). She runs marathons, is in running groups, is exceedingly fit, and is so intimidating.…”

Coping With Growth in Adolescent Elite Sport

“…The adult athletes cope by normalizing and hiding pain or by playing through it (e.g., Allen-Collinson & Hockey, 2001;Howe, 2001;Pike & Maguire, 2003;Roderick, Waddington, & Parker, 2000). But they also use "injury talk" (Young, White, & McTeer, 1994, p. 192) to rationalize, depersonalize or reframe their injuries (e.g., Allen-Collinson, 2005;Atkinson & Young, 2008;Brock & Kleiber, 1994;Charlesworth & Young, 2006;Smith & Sparkes, 2005;Young & White, 1995;Young et al, 1994). Given that the able body is their primary capital, adult athletes' injury talk predominantly follows a storyline of "restitution", which "affirms that [the] breakdown can be fixed" (Frank, 1995, p. 90), either through self-control or medical regimens.…”

Verletzungen im Leistungssport aus soziologischer Perspektive

“…noch wichtige Spiele bestreiten zu können (Roderick, 2004 (Thing, 2006). Ähnliches zeigt sich auch in der autoethnographischen Studie einer Langstreckenläuferin und ihrer Trainingspartnerin mit langwierigen Kniebeschwerden (Collinson, 2003(Collinson, , 2005. Die Temporalität von Heilungsverläufen wird höchst individuell und äußerst komplex strukturiert wahrgenommen und scheint die emotionale Bewältigung von Verletzungen sowie die Motivation und Moral im Rehabilitationsprozess maßgeblich zu beeinflussen (Collinson, 2003).…”