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Trainor, Lisa Raquel

University of British Columbia

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine, synthesize, and explore contextualized psychological well-being (PWB) in the elite sport environment. This dissertation is composed of six chapters, an introduction, four manuscripts, and a general discussion. In chapter 1, I provide an overview of the well-being perspectives (hedonic and eudaimonic) and discuss the need to contextualize well-being in the elite sport environment. In chapter 2 (manuscript 1), I present a critical commentary of the application of well-being in the field of sport and exercise psychology and provide three recommendations for future research: 1. Operating from a distinct well-being tradition or a complete combination of perspectives, 2. Theoretically aligning measurements of well-being to the appropriate tradition of well-being, and 3. Employing qualitative research to identify context specific dimensions of well-being. In chapter 3 (manuscript 2), I discuss ‘how to’ complete a rigorous and methodologically coherent reflexive thematic analysis. Further, I deliberate how the use of interviews along with photographs can aid in the exploration and understanding of a psychological concept. In chapter 4 (manuscript 3), I explored how COVID-19 and the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games impacted athletes’ PWB. I developed two overarching and interrelated themes: 1. ‘performance’ interruption and 2. (re)negotiating success and ‘mastering’ psychological well-being. Athletes’ stories primarily centered around the inability to live the performance narrative, and the consequences this had on one’s PWB. The results highlight important contextual factors that impact athletes’ PWB, and the need to explore ‘what is’ athlete PWB. In chapter 5 (manuscript 4), I addressed the overarching research question, what is athlete PWB? Through this work, eight components of sport specific PWB were co-constructed to represent athletes’ understandings of PWB in the elite sport context. The eight components included self-confidence and worth; personal balance; aligned purpose; fulfillment; performance; agency; psychological safety; and psychological adaptability. I propose these components work together to facilitate athlete PWB. Lastly, in chapter six I present a general discussion thighlighting how findings contribute theoretically and conceptually, methodologically, and practically. Findings presented in this dissertation increase our understanding of contextually relevant components of athlete PWB.

Text

2024-04-22

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/87915

Kinesiology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/