Can Writing Be Wrong? Collaborative Autoethnography as Critical Reflective Practice in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology

Abstract

Critical reflective practice (CRP) facilitates macro-level reflections about social contexts and power structures through the interrogation of one’s own experiences (Knowles & Gilbourne, 2010). Despite the importance of CRP, examples of how one actually engages in CRP are scarce in sport psychology. Moreover, given that writing in academia is traditionally “author evacuated” (Knowles & Gilbourne, 2010, p. 512), it is questionable how traditional writing practices help facilitate critical reflections. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine how sport psychology professionals can engage in CRP through the use of author-centered writing. Specifically, we responded to Knowles and Gilbourne’s (2010) call to use autoethnography as a way to engage in, as well as document, critical reflective writing. Through author-centered writing, we reflected on normalized practices that can hinder CRP. The detailed written accounts and collaborative process helped us recognize how the personal is political (Hanisch, 2006), and why culture and power are always important for sport psychology professionals to consider.