Risk can be good for self-esteem: beyond self-determination theory

Abstract

Despite many decades of research that has highlighted all risk-taking sport activities as a means to satisfy sensation seeking needs (e.g., Zuckerman, 1979), recent research has challenged that view and has revealed that some high-risk activities provide opportunities for agentic emotion regulation during participation, and are not driven by sensation-seeking needs (e.g., Barlow, Woodman, & Hardy, 2013). Participation in high-risk sports is also associated with increased self-esteem (e.g., Aşçi, Demirhan, & Dinç, 2007). The aim of the present study was to investigate the link between the agentic and emotion regulation benefits of specific high-risk activities and any associated self-esteem benefits. We hypothesized that the emotion regulation and agency experiences in high-risk physical activities would mirror the elevated self-esteem derived from these activities. We examined high-risk activity (n = 84), low-risk activity (n = 65), and control (n = 45) groups and found that the experience of agentic emotion regulation was greater during participation for high-risk sport participants. High-risk sport participants also had less post-activity difficulty with emotion regulation and higher self-esteem. This study provides the first support that activities that require greater agentic emotion regulation during participation also lead to elevated self-esteem. Basic psychological needs satisfaction did not account for the differences between groups, suggesting that people have other needs (e.g., the need to self-regulate) that are not incorporated into self-determination theory. Risk can be good for self-esteem 3 Risk can be good for self-esteem: Beyond self-determination theory Risk-taking as human endeavor We live in a society that is increasingly risk-averse, and "safety" has become a sacrosanct customer services mantra. In some areas of public life (e.g., aviation, medicine), there is almost universal acceptance that this mantra is entirely appropriate. Despite, or perhaps because of, this ubiquitous safety blanket, many individuals actively seek activities that many would deem life-threatening. That is, in a risk-averse society there is a parallel thirst for danger (cf. Barlow et al., 2015). Researchers have recently explored agentic emotion regulation theory (Barlow et al.,

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