'That's how I am dealing with it – that is dealing with it': exploring men athletes' self-compassion through the lens of masculinity. Issue 2 (4th March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Reis, Nathan A.; Kowalski, Kent C.; Mosewich, Amber D.; Ferguson, Leah J.
• Is Part Of: Qualitative research in sport, exercise & health. Volume 14:Issue 2(2022)
• Page Start: 245
• Page End: 267
• Publication Date: 2022-03-04
• Subjects: Self-compassion -- men athletes -- sport -- masculinity -- interpretative phenomenological analysis; Sports sciences -- Research -- Methodology -- Periodicals; Exercise -- Research -- Methodology -- Periodicals; Health -- Research -- Methodology -- Periodicals; 613.71
• DOI: 10.1080/2159676X.2021.1920455
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2159-676X

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Despite the growing body of literature in the field of athletes' self-compassion over the past decade, studies with a focus specifically on men athletes are limited. In addition, although previous research suggests that differential representations of masculinities may impact men's self-compassion uniquely, the link between men athletes' self-compassion and masculinities is understudied. With masculinity-based negative evaluations being the source of many difficult experiences for men athletes, perhaps self-compassion can mitigate the impact of men's challenges in sport. Thus, our research purpose was to explore men athletes' lived experiences of self-compassion through the lens of masculinity. We recruited 16 men athletes (Mage = 21.4 years; SD = 3.7) to participate in two semi-structured interviews with a reflexive photography task between interviews. The results of our study are framed within two overlying categories (i.e., masculinity, self-compassion), with multiple themes in each category. Our findings suggest that the men athletes in our study generally represent a version of masculinity that is accepting of non-traditional representations of masculinity (e.g. homosexuality), and they were open and willing to accept and embrace self-compassion, particularly if it helps them improve their sport performance. We conclude that self-compassion can be a useful resource for men athletes, and future research should focus on developing and evaluating the effectiveness of a self-compassion intervention, with considerations given to the potential role of masculinity in men's difficult sport experiences, tailored specifically for men athletes.