A longitudinal analysis of the transition to retirement from elite sport: Athletic identity, life satisfaction and career indecision

Abstract

Introduction: Retirement from elite sport marks a time of re-evaluation for athletes in many areas of life. Much research to date has indicated that this transition can have a marked impact upon an individual both socially and psychologically, while other studies have found no correlation between retirement difficulties and overall life satisfaction. One topic that has attracted much attention in the career transition literature is that of athletic identity. Athletic identity refers to the extent to which individuals identify with an athletic role. Research findings in this area indicate that athletes who possess a strong and exclusive level of athletic identity take longer to adapt to their post-sport life, and are more prone to experiencing psychosocial and career identity difficulties later in life. The current study aimed to track and compare the athletic identity levels, life satisfaction and career decision-making difficulties reported by Australian elite athletes over a three year period.