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Article

Self-starvation and the performance narrative in competitive sport.

Details

Citation

Papathomas A & Lavallee D (2014) Self-starvation and the performance narrative in competitive sport.. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 15 (6), pp. 688-695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2013.10.014

Abstract
Objectives: To provide an alternative to medical understanding of disordered eating in sport through an emphasis on personal perspectives.? Design: This study draws on narrative theory to interpretively analyse the life of Holly, a female athlete who engages in severe self-starvation.? Methods: More than 7 hours of life history data was gathered over a period of 8 months through unstructured interviews. Holly's story was analyzed through principles of narrative analysis, with attention afforded to both narrative content and structure.? Results:?Holly's life is characterized by a struggle to align her life experiences with a culturally specified ¡°performance narrative¡± that lauds normative success. When neither her academic nor sporting endeavors are perceived to fulfil the achievement narrative, Holly is thrust into emotional turmoil and begins to conceive of self-starvation as a means to achieve.? Conclusions: The performance narrative spans both academic and sporting cultural domains and it can play a role in athlete disordered eating.

Keywords
Health; Sport; Eating disorders

Journal
Psychology of Sport and Exercise: Volume 15, Issue 6

StatusPublished
Publication date30/11/2014
Publication date online28/11/2013
Date accepted by journal29/10/2013
URL
PublisherElsevier
ISSN1469-0292