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Download fileAdversarial growth in Olympic swimmers: constructive reality or illusory self-deception?
journal contribution
posted on 2016-04-19, 11:13 authored by Karen L. Howells, David FletcherDavid FletcherPrevious research suggests that adversarial growth is a real and constructive phenomenon that occurs in athletes who compete at the highest level of sport. In this study, however, we adopt a critical stance on the veridicality of growth by exploring Olympic swimmers’ experience of constructive and illusory growth. Semi-structured interviews, complemented by timelining, were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Despite the inherently negative aspects of adversity, it was evident from the swimmers’ interpretations that they also perceived positive consequences of their experiences. Analysis revealed that some of these positive outcomes were indicative of illusory aspects of growth, while other positive outcomes were more indicative of constructive aspects of growth. It appears that earlier phases of the growth process were characterized by more illusory aspects of growth, whereas when the temporal proximity from the adversity increased, more constructive aspects of growth are apparent.
History
School
- Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences
Published in
Journal of Sport & Exercise PsychologyVolume
38Issue
2Pages
173-186Citation
HOWELLS, K.L. and FLETCHER, D., 2016. Adversarial growth in Olympic swimmers: constructive reality or illusory self-deception? Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 38 (2), pp. 173-186.Publisher
© Human KineticsVersion
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Publisher statement
This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Publication date
2016-03-15Copyright date
2016Notes
This is the as accepted for publication version of an article subsequently published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology © Human Kinetics. The definitive version is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/jsep.2015-0159.ISSN
0895-2779Publisher version
Language
- en