In an attempt to answer the question ‘how does parental influence related to participation in sport impact on the construction of self-identity’ two semi structured interviews were carried out with two individuals who will be named Joe and Jane. The key themes that will be addressed in this assignment are self-identification and parental influence.
According to Coakley and Pike (2009), an individual’s identity is shaped by factors including ethnicity, sexuality and socio-economic status along with age and gender. Coakley also talks about socio-economic status with White (1992). In their study on the decision making of young people from …show more content…
They’re my best friends. I’ve never felt like rejected or anything… My parents love that I row and are happy to fund me through it’’.
She described how supportive her parents are and how welcome she’s always felt at her club. Jane successfully formed an identity within her rowing crew despite growing up in a working class background. A main reason for this could be the support she received from her parents.
Coakley and White (1992) state that the reason young people from working class backgrounds generally avoid stereotypically middle class sports is because they feel they would not be able to form an identity within this subculture. Therefore, they would have negative experiences and are consequently more likely to stop participating. They explain that identity is the foremost important element in the decision making process of a neophyte. If their identity is accepted by members of the subculture, then they are more likely to decide that participation in that sport is something they would like to continue with. Similar thoughts were given by Joe. He explained that the reason he moved clubs was because he didn’t feel socially accepted at his first basketball …show more content…
Thus, signifying the importance of parental influences on sporting identities. His decision to allow his parents to persuade him to join a new club has positively impacted on his current participation in basketball.
Interviewer: ‘’ So, you would call yourself a basketballer then?’’
Joe: ‘’ Yes definitely! It’s one of the first things I say when I meet new people, I used to be so bad but now I feel I’m good enough to be called that, so yeah’’
Joe’s response, on how being a basketballer is central to his identity, derives from him feeling as though he has achieved in his sport. This is similar to the comments of Coakley and White (1992). They explain how a neophytes original efforts to gain an identity within a sporting subculture are more likely to be continued, even in the face of failure, if sport is a fundamental part of their self-identification. Joe was therefore more willing to adopt the norms and values of the basketball