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3Sacrifice for the sake of sports as a victim property of an athlete's personality
UDC 796.011; 159.99
G.V. Baturkina1
PhD, Associate Professor T.P. Budyakova1 1Bunin Yelets State University, Yelets
Corresponding author: protektorius@mail.ru
Abstract
Objective of the study was to identify the role of sacrifice for the sake of sport in maintaining the stability of the athlete's personality.
Methods and structure of the study. Active interview, case method and content analysis were used as methods. 40 interviews of athletes were analyzed, of which 30 were taken from the media, 10 were conducted by the authors of the study. In addition, 14 cases were analyzed in which elements of sacrificial behavior in athletes were recorded.
Results and conclusions. Six thematic groups of judgments have been identified that differ in content in terms of understanding the phenomenon of sacrifice among athletes. Among them: "avoidance of sacrifice", "condemnation of sacrifice", "pragmatic attitude towards sacrifice", "understanding of sacrifice as a mission, as heroism", etc. It is shown that not all variants of sacrifice ensure the stability of the athlete's personality. In particular, such varieties of sacrifice as "fictitious sacrifice" and "sacrifice for the sake of fear" perform a negative function.
Keywords: sacrifice for the sake of sports, sports, athlete's personality, sports results.
Introduction. In studies of the personality of an athlete, such components as strong-willed qualities, personality stability, endurance, and the desire to win are traditionally identified as particularly significant for him. This was reflected in everyday consciousness as myths about athletes-heroes and heroes [2].
However, recently attention has been drawn to other factors contributing to the stable functioning of the athlete's personality both in the profession and outside it. These, in particular, include: aesthetic factors, implementation in gender roles, as well as the ability to sacrifice for the sake of sports. It is noted that a high willingness to make psychological sacrifices reduces the risks of mental disorders and psychological trauma [5]. At the same time, there are practically no studies in the literature on the content of the phenomenon of sacrifice for the sake of sports and its variants, except for negative victims of injuries [2]. Victims of doping also belong to the same type. Doping for the sake of a sporting result can be recognized as
a victim for the sake of sport, since doping can lead to damage to health, but it is obvious that such a victim should be attributed to the socially condemned. There is a small percentage of research on sacrificing academic success when combining sports and higher education. The significance of these studies lies in the intention of the authors to indicate ways to minimize such psychological victims without reducing the level of sports achievements [4]. A separate aspect concerns Paralympians when their sacrifice for the sake of sport is glorified [3].
However, the topic of sacrifice for the sake of sport is clearly not limited to these options. In our empirical study, an attempt has been made to identify other types of psychological sacrifices for the sake of sport and to assess their significance for the formation and development of an athlete's personality.
Objective of the study was to identify the role of sacrifice for the sake of sport in maintaining the stability of the athlete's personality.
Theory and Practice of Physical Culture I teoriya.ru I February I № 2 2023
Methods and structure of the study. The
methods used are an active interview, a case method and a meaningful content analysis. A total of 40 interviews of athletes were analyzed, of which 30 interviews were taken from the media, 10 were conducted by the authors of the study. 14 cases were selected, which reflected elements of sacrificial behavior in athletes.
Results of the study and their discussion. The data of interviews and cases were examined using content analysis, which resulted in six thematic groups: "avoidance of sacrifice", "condemnation of sacrifice", "pragmatic attitude to sacrifice", "understanding sacrifice as a mission, as heroism", "fictitious sacrifice" and "sacrifice based on fear", meaningfully differing in their understanding of the meaning of the phenomenon of sacrifice. The table below shows the selected thematic groups and their linguistic markers based on the results of interviews and case studies.
The marker "Avoidance of sacrifice" showed objectively significant professional attitudes for athletes, allowing them to neutralize the desire to sacrifice their health for the sake of results. Previously, we noted such a marker in successful elite tennis players [1]. The same markers also appeared in the cases we
studied. Thus, the case of "Plushenko" proves the right choice of an athlete who refused to compete in individual competitions at the Olympic Games in Sochi-2014 due to pain in the spine, despite the threat of losing his sporting reputation.
The marker "Condemnation of sacrifice" reflects the opinion of the part of athletes who focus on the most safe sport. However, the entertainment of sports, attracting public attention to it, and its educational value are precisely related to the ability to overcome physical barriers, so mention of this factor was less common.
Conclusions. The data obtained indicate that the choice of the form of sacrifice, which is important for the stability of the athlete's personality, depends on the current conditions of sports activity, the sport and the health of the athlete. Because of this, it is impossible to single out the most productive options of sacrifice for the sake of sport for all cases of a sports career.
Note that some types of sacrifice have a clear negative context. These include, for example, fictitious sacrifice, as well as sacrifice due to fear of coaches, relatives and other people who sometimes pin not only sports hopes on an athlete, but are guided by material and other factors unrelated to sports.
Content analysis of the content of interviews and cases (markers signaling the attitude to the phenomenon of sacrifice)
Thematic group and its markers
Avoiding sacrifice:
- unnecessary sacrifices, sacrifices that do not bring results;
- health is more expensive than any results and preferences.
Condemnation of sacrifice:
- the rules of the competition should exclude all moments that can lead to injury to the athlete;
- there is no need to constantly raise the bar of sports records;_
- you can't force an athlete to risk his health for the sake of a high result.
Pragmatic attitude to sacrifice:
- sacrifice in sports - part of a career
- sacrifice for the sake of ambition, being the first is prestigious;
- sacrifice for the sake of large reward resources (money, property and other benefits). Understanding sacrifice as a mission, as heroism:_
- it is necessary to sacrifice for the sake of the country's victory;
- only by sacrificing can you achieve high results.
Fictitious sacrifice:
- quit sports because of unrealized ambitions;
- against the background of unwillingness to give personal time to training, not to participate in higher-level competitions, hiding behind the mask of «I don't want to let the coach and the team down.» Fear-based sacrifice:
the loser will be discussed;
relatives and (or) the coach will be unhappy.
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References
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