Year: 2016
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Athletes often experience pain in sport and in their everyday lives, yet little research has explored how athletes form understandings of pain, and how social interactions contribute to athletes’ understandings of pain. The purpose of this study was to explore MMA fighters’ experiences of pain while training for fight. A multiple case study approach (Stake, 1995) was used to study pain among four amateur and professional fighters and their training partners (total N = 7). Data were collected longitudinally using semi-structured interviews, participant observation, athlete video diaries, and video recordings of training sessions and fights. Results pertained to: (a) distinguishing between physical pain, injury, and emotional pain; (b) social validation of pain; (c) giving and receiving pain; (d) sharing pain with teammates; and (e) reflections on ‘doing’ pain research. The results suggest that pain experiences are socially constructed and shared with others, and teammates influence how fighters understand their pain.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Kristina Smith
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2603125659