Brief Introduction to the Psychology of Athlete Retirement
Last week, we revisited the topic of athlete identity in preparation for this week. Why? For the following reason. As important as athlete identity is for driving high performance and motivation in sports, athlete identity is a key predictor of athlete adjustment trajectories, though the mechanisms are not as clearly established (Haslam et al., 2021b; Haslam et al., 2024). Whether athlete, coach, sport and performance professional, or mental health counselor, understanding athlete identity is crucial. It also means that, given we don’t know the mechanisms, we must pay attention and remember to work with an athlete as a whole person.
Athlete Identity: What Is It?
As a working definition, identity is the amalgamation of memories, experiences, relationships, and values that a person uses to help define a sense of self. New experiences and facets can be incorporated through time. Remember, no definition is perfect and researchers are always learning more. For now, this definition will serve our purpose. Let’s begin by highlighting a couple key points from this definition.
Athlete Identity
What is identity? That itself is a big question and one that requires a ton of unpacking. While we will not be diving into a question that big, we will be exploring the athlete identity. Athlete identity, or athletic identity, is the degree to which an individual identifies with their role as an athlete and how they are recognized by others and themselves within their role as an athlete. This self-concept arises from the information an individual internalizes and its influence on how they process the information about themselves.