Expanding socio-cultural identity research in sport psycho-logy: The potential of athlete autobiographies

Abstract

Within the cultural sport psychology (CSP) genre, researchers have considered multiple and inter-secting athlete identity expression to enhance sport participation, inclusion and performance. The aim with the present paper was to build upon, and expand a CSP research agenda that focuses on socially constructed identities, through exploring narrative inquiry in conjunction with athlete autobi-ographies as data (re)sources. To accomplish this aim, we outline the central tenets of narrative in-quiry and convergences with CSP, followed by an overview of autobiography. We then draw on au-tobiography research from cultural studies and sport psychology in relation to two central areas of concern in CSP: gender issues with a focus on women and health and well-being issues in sport. We conclude with some aspirations for future research on autobiographies grounded in narrative inquiry, to expand a CSP research agenda.

‘Strong and courageous’ but ‘constantly insecure’: dialogical self theory, intersecting identities, and Christian mixed martial arts

“…In contrast to many studies using sporting autobiographies as data, our analysis focused on a protagonist who never really achieved his sporting dreams, thus shedding light on how meaning was found from a somewhat unsuccessful athletic career. Studying the identity intersections within Christian MMA furthermore responded to recent calls for additional studies at the intersection of autobiography and narrative inquiry to understand identity issues in sport (sub)culture contexts (McGannon and Smith 2020).…”

“…Qualitative researchers in sport and exercise are increasingly considering autobiographies as useful data for understanding sporting experiences and identities (Butryn and Masucci 2003;McGannon and McMahon 2019;McGannon and Smith 2020;Newman, Howells, and Fletcher 2016;Sparkes and Stewart 2016). However, as Sparkes and Stewart (2016) noted, sporting autobiographies have often been dismissed for being predictable, formulaic, driven by economic interest, and predominantly communicating gossip rather than insights about human experience.…”

“…Therefore, when qualitative researchers approach autobiographies in the same way as they approach other forms of qualitative data -that is, as partial, selectively crafted stories that are intended to particular audiences and to achieve certain outcomes -they can be a rich resource for expanding our understandings of how athletic careers and identities are constructed and negotiated over time. McGannon and Smith (2020) suggested that sport psychology researchers working with autobiographies and narrative inquiry could usefully expand the knowledge base by exploring a broader range of sporting contexts, identity intersections, and geographic locations. While our study focuses on a similar demographic as many previous studies using autobiography (a white, able-bodied, and heterosexual male athlete), we believe that our focus on Christian MMA and the use of DST as a theoretical lens can expand understandings of identity in sport both empirically and theoretically.…”

Understanding coach-athlete conflict: an ethnodrama to illustrate conflict in elite sport

“…The ethnodrama also builds on the theorising of Wachsmuth, Jowett, and Harwood (2017) concerning the determinants of conflict. McGannon and Smith (2020) highlight how within narrative inquiry, people use stories, such as those told in autobiographies, to make sense of who they are and how they should behave. In the current study, these stories told by those who experienced an elite team environment, provide a resource that allow others to understand (Frank, 2013), and therefore, enhance our understanding of why conflict might occur in this environment.…”

“…These are examples of the critical consideration needed when using autobiographies in narrative inquiry, and the stories told that might enhance our understanding of psychological issues such as conflict in sport. Furthermore, McGannon and Smith (2020) argue that the advantages of taking a story analyst approach to examining athlete autobiographies in narrative inquiry outweigh the potential limitations. With elite environments otherwise hard to access, autobiographies gave us a 'privileged insight' (Howells and Fletcher 2015, 46) of conflict occurring in an elite environment, providing the opportunity to explore sociocultural issues such as interpersonal conflict.…”