“I always just viewed it as part of sport”: Psychological maltreatment and conformity to the sport ethic

Sport environments have the potential to be advantageous to one’s development and well-being; however, they are also plagued with the normalization of excessive pressures and extreme expectations that can enhance athletes’ susceptibility to experiencing harm, especially psychological maltreatment. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore athletes’ experiences of conforming to the sport ethic and experiences of psychological maltreatment in sport. Semi-structured interviews were completed with thirteen retired, competitive, women athletes. Each interview was transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Findings demonstrate that the sport ethic influences the vulnerability of athletes to experiencing psychological maltreatment and athletes’ experiences of psychological maltreatment influence their conformity to the sport ethic. The desire to please is identified as central to this nexus between conformity and experiences of psychological maltreatment. The paper concludes with applied recommendations for sport psychology practitioners. The cycle of psychological maltreatment and conformity to the sport ethic demonstrates the interrelatedness between both constructs and suggests they should not be viewed as mutually exclusive. This recursive conceptualization can help guide sport psychology practitioners in their efforts to safeguard athlete welfare. Implications for PracticePositive encouragement of athletes’ steadfast dedication and commitment to achieving performance in sport can enhance athletes’ vulnerability to psychological maltreatment.Sport psychology practitioners should be cognizant of the risk of people-pleasing tendencies making athletes susceptible to and in need of safeguarding against psychological maltreatment and engagement in extreme behaviors associated with conformity to the sport ethic.Sport psychology practitioners can play a critical role in providing education and strategies for coaches, parents, athletes, and sport leaders to support athletic performance in a way that also safeguards athlete welfare. Positive encouragement of athletes’ steadfast dedication and commitment to achieving performance in sport can enhance athletes’ vulnerability to psychological maltreatment. Sport psychology practitioners should be cognizant of the risk of people-pleasing tendencies making athletes susceptible to and in need of safeguarding against psychological maltreatment and engagement in extreme behaviors associated with conformity to the sport ethic. Sport psychology practitioners can play a critical role in providing education and strategies for coaches, parents, athletes, and sport leaders to support athletic performance in a way that also safeguards athlete welfare.

体育环境对个体发展与身心健康具有积极赋能潜力，但同时也深陷过度压力与极端期待常态化的困境，这会提升运动员遭受伤害——尤其是心理虐待——的易感性。
本研究旨在以质性研究方法，探究运动员对体育伦理（sport ethic）的遵从经历，以及其在体育运动中遭遇心理虐待的体验。研究招募13名退役女子竞技运动员开展半结构化访谈，对所有访谈内容进行逐字转录并实施主题分析。
研究结果显示，体育伦理会加剧运动员遭受心理虐待的易感性，而运动员遭遇心理虐待的经历也会反过来影响其对体育伦理的遵从。取悦他人的欲望被认定为这一遵从行为与心理虐待经历之间关联的核心纽带。
本研究最后为运动心理学从业者提供了实践性建议。心理虐待与体育伦理遵从的循环关系揭示了两种构念之间的相互关联性，表明二者不应被视为互斥的存在。这种递归式概念化框架，能够为运动心理学从业者维护运动员福祉的工作提供指导。
实践启示：对运动员在体育赛事中追求卓越表现的坚定奉献与投入给予积极鼓励，可能会提升其遭受心理虐待的风险。运动心理学从业者应意识到，取悦他人的倾向会使运动员更易遭受心理虐待，且需要防范此类情况及与遵从体育伦理相关的极端行为。运动心理学从业者可发挥关键作用，为教练、家长、运动员及体育领域领导者提供相关教育与策略，在支持运动员竞技表现的同时，保障其身心健康福祉。
对运动员在体育赛事中追求卓越表现的坚定奉献与投入给予积极鼓励，可能会提升其遭受心理虐待的风险。运动心理学从业者应意识到，取悦他人的倾向会使运动员更易遭受心理虐待，且需要防范此类情况及与遵从体育伦理相关的极端行为。运动心理学从业者可发挥关键作用，为教练、家长、运动员及体育领域领导者提供相关教育与策略，在支持运动员竞技表现的同时，保障其身心健康福祉。