2134/17175
Anthony Papathomas
Anthony
Papathomas
David E. Lavallee
David E.
Lavallee
Eating disorders in sport: a call for methodological diversity
Loughborough University
2015
Eating disorders
Disordered eating
Athletes
Sport
Qualitative research
Interpretive
Medical and Health Sciences not elsewhere classified
2015-04-01 12:01:32
Journal contribution
https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/Eating_disorders_in_sport_a_call_for_methodological_diversity/9629510
From the emergence of isolated studies in the early 1980s to the concentrated and burgeoning research base of the present day, scholars
within sport psychology have been motivated to address the problem of eating disorders in sport. Heavily influenced by the medical model of scientific
inquiry, the extant literature offers important insights into prevalence and aetiology. Despite this progress, there is much that is poorly understood about
athlete eating disorders and existing approaches are vulnerable to considerable critique. This paper highlights some of the fundamental problems with
the medical model and argues that its current dominance has created an overly narrow knowledge base. It is proposed that an increase in qualitative, interpretive
accounts, that prioritize the subjectivity of experience over the serialization of symptoms, is necessary if we are to achieve a balanced and
more complete understanding of eating disorders in sport.