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Extreme sport, identity, and well-being: a case study and narrative approach to elite skyrunning

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Abstract
Although extreme-sport athletes’ experiences have been explored in sport psychology, more research is needed to understand the nuanced identity meanings for these athletes in the context of health and well-being. A case-study approach grounded in narrative inquiry was used to explore identity meanings of 1 elite extreme-sport athlete (i.e., skyrunner Kilian Jornet) in relation to well-being. Data gleaned from 4 documentary films and 10 autobiographical book chapters describing the Summits of My Life project were subjected to a thematic narrative analysis. Two intersecting narratives—discovery and relational—threaded the summits project and were used by Jornet to construct an “ecocentric” identity intertwined with nature in fluid ways, depending on 3 relationships related to well-being: the death of climbing partner Stéphane Brosse, team members’ shared values, and her relationship with partner Emelie Forsberg. An expansion of identity, health, and well-being research on extreme-sport athletes beyond simplistic portrayals of them as pathological risk takers and/or motivated by personality traits was gained from these findings.
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: | McGannon, KR and Pomerleau-Fontaine, L and McMahon, J |
Keywords: | adventure sport, athlete identity, narrative inquiry, qualitative |
Journal or Publication Title: | Case Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology |
Publisher: | Human Kinetics, Inc |
ISSN: | 2470-4857 |
DOI / ID Number: | 10.1123/cssep.2019-0031 |
Copyright Information: | Copyright 2020 Human Kinetics, Inc. |
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Item Statistics: | View statistics for this item |
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