The Only Constant is Change: Exploring Shifting Relationships in Sport Overconformity through a Narrative Identity Lens

Abstract

In sport, athletes are socialized to the expectations of the athlete role (i.e., sport ethic), including those expectations that require them to sacrifice themselves and prioritize their sport. Through the socialization process, athletes learn the implications of their ability to sacrifice and focus to fulfill identity related expectations. For some athletes, informal expectations become mandates, and overconforming athletes utilize maladaptive efforts to meet those mandates (e.g., disordered eating behaviors, playing injured, performance enhancing substance use). As athletes’ identities evolve over time, their relationships with the sport ethic changes, requiring various interventions (e.g., narrative therapy, identity exploration/reorganization, motivational interviewing, acceptance and commitment therapy) from skilled professionals as they navigate their sport cultures. Therefore, practitioners working with athletes to navigate the sport ethic should be mindful of several considerations, including identity foreclosure and the sport subculture, which will inevitably have impact on their work.