Title: Olympic and Paralympic Athletes’ (De)construction of Athlete Psychological Well-Being
Thesis Supervisors: Dr. Andrea Bundon, Dr. Peter Crocker
Committee Members: Dr. Guy Faulkner, Dr. Ross Wadey
External Examiner: Dr. Jamie Barker
University Examiners: Dr. Brian Wilson, Dr. Beth Haverkamp
Chair: Dr. E. David Klonsky
Abstract: 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 (introduction) I provide an overview of the well-being perspectives (hedonic and eudaimonic), discuss the need to contextualize well-being in the elite sport environment, and the importance of examining athlete well-being. In chapter 2 (manuscript 1), I present a commentary critiquing the application of well-being in the field of sport and exercise psychology and provide recommendations for future research. In sport and exercise psychology, well-being has lacked consistent operationalization and measurement (i.e., theoretical alignment, single item measures), is vague and loosely defined, and is often studied in isolation from a well-being perspective (i.e., no theoretical foundation). I provide three recommendations for further research on well-being in sport: 1. Operating from a distinct well-being tradition or a complete combination of perspective, 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, which is the analysis used for the subsequent two studies. 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 of this study highlight important contextual factors that impact athletes’ PWB, and the need to explore ‘what is’ athlete PWB. In chapter 5 (manuscript 4), I answer 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 that these components work together to facilitate athlete PWB. Findings presented in this dissertation move beyond what is currently known by increasing our understanding of contextually relevant components of athlete PWB.