Sport and Excercise Psychology

This course will take a sociological perspective, primarily “interactionist” and “career-oriented”, on the involvement of individuals in sports practices. An attempt will be made to provide an overview of such involvements, from the initial exposure and introduction to sport practice, through the deepening commitments and obligations to the ultimate withdrawal. Such an overview will be examined in the context of the variety of contingencies which influence each phase of the athletic career. While the focus will be upon those individuals who have “made it” through the sports system to some sort of elite status, the analysis by its very nature will not ignore the experiences of those who disengage from involvements in sports practices at earlier stages. Material will be drawn from both the theoretical and empirical literature, and will be critiqued in terms of its usefulness for understanding the phenomenon of the individual’s involvement in athletic career.