The relationship between exercise dependence and identity reinforcement: a sociological examination of a gym-based environment in the United Kingdom

Abstract

This study collected in-depth interview data from 10 participants who were immersed in a gym-based environment in the UK, in order to consider the possibility of a relationship between exercise dependence (ED) and identity reinforcement. The process of identity formation within this environment was consistent with that outlined by Weiss, (Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.) with the maintenance of an appropriate body image the key way in which individuals were able to meet the expectations of the ‘generalized other’ and reinforce identity. Notably, the accounts of the participants in this study revealed symptoms of dependence when a cessation of exercise meant that they were unable to maintain this appropriate body image and, therefore, receive the recognition required to confirm identity. This study adds support to the possibility of a relationship between ED and identity formation and promotes the usefulness of both qualitative research and the sociology of sport in this particular area of research.

Notes

¹ Baekeland, ‘Exercise Deprivation’.

² Hausenblas and Symons Downs, ‘Exercise Dependence: A Systematic Review’; Ogden, Veale and Summers, ‘The Development and Validation of the Exercise Dependence Questionnaire’; Veale, ‘Exercise Dependence’.

³ Hamer and Karageorgis, ‘Physchobiological Mechanisms of Exercise Dependence’, 477.

⁴ See Partingdon, Partingdon and Olivier, ‘The Dark Side of Flow: A Qualitative Study of Dependence in Big Wave Surfing’.

⁵ Bamber et al. , ‘Diagnostic Criteria for Exercise Dependence in Women’, 395.

⁶ Bamber et al., ‘Diagnostic Criteria for Exercise Dependence in Women’.

⁷ Hausenblas and Symons Downs, ‘Exercise Dependence: A Systematic Review’.

⁸ See, for example, Hall et al. , ‘The Mediating Influence of Unconditional Self-Acceptance and Labile Self-esteem on the Relationship between Multidimensional Perfectionism and Exercise Dependence’; Hamer and Karageorgis, ‘Physchobiological Mechanisms of Exercise Dependence’; Hausenblas and Symons Downs, ‘How Much is Too Much? The Development and Validation of the Exercise Dependence Scale’; Morgan, ‘Negative Addiction in Runners’; Partingdon, Partingdon and Olivier, ‘The Dark Side of Flow: A Qualitative Study of Dependence in Big Wave Surfing’; Pierce et al. , ‘Beta-endorphin Response to Endurance Exercise Relationship to Exercise Dependence’; Veale, ‘Exercise Dependence’.

⁹ Ewald and Jibou, ‘Explaining Positive Deviance: Becker's Model and the Case of Runners and Body Builders’.

¹⁰ Groves et al., ‘Exercise Dependence, Self-esteem and Identity Reinforcement: A Comparison of Three Universities in the United Kingdom’; Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

¹¹ See Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

¹² Ibid.

¹³ Ibid.

¹⁴ Mead, Mind, Self and Society.

¹⁵ Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

¹⁶ Ibid.

¹⁷ Mead, Mind, Self and Society, 154.

¹⁸ Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

¹⁹ Mead, Mind, Self and Society; Meltzer, ‘Meads Social Psychology’; Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

²⁰ Wearing, ‘Leisure and Women's Identity: Conformity or Individuality’.

²¹ Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

²² Ibid.

²³ See, for example, Coakley and White, ‘Making Decisions: Gender and Sport Participation among British Adolescents’; Curry and Weiss. ‘Sport Identity and Motivation for Sport Participation: A Comparison Between American College Athletes and Austrian Student Sport Club Members’; Fine, With the Little Boys: Little League Baseball and Preadolescent Culture.

²⁴ Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

²⁵ Ibid.

²⁶ Groves et al. , ‘Exercise Dependence, Self-esteem and Identity Reinforcement: A Comparison of Three Universities in the United Kingdom’.

²⁷ Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

²⁸ Groves et al., ‘Exercise Dependence, Self-esteem and Identity Reinforcement: A Comparison of Three Universities in the United Kingdom’.

²⁹ Ibid.

³⁰ Symons Downs, Hausenblas and Nigg, ‘Factorial Validity and Psychometric Examination of the Exercise Dependence Scale-Revised’.

³¹ Groves et al., ‘Exercise Dependence, Self-esteem and Identity Reinforcement: A Comparison of Three Universities in the United Kingdom’; Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

³² Bamber et al., ‘Diagnostic Criteria for Exercise Dependence in Women’; Hausenblas and Symons Downs, ‘Exercise Dependence: A Systematic Review’.

³³ Bamber et al., ‘Diagnostic Criteria for Exercise Dependence in Women’.

³⁴ See, for example, Allain, ‘Real Fast and Tough: The Construction of Canadian Hockey Masculinity’; Chase, ‘Running Big: Clydesdale Runners and Technologies of the Body’; Sisjord and Kristiansen, ‘Serious Athletes or Media Clowns? Female and Male Wrestlers’ Perceptions of Media Constructions'; Spowart, Hughson and Shaw, ‘Snowboarding Mums Carve out Fresh Tracks: Resisting Traditional Motherhood Discourse?’; Weseley, ‘Negotiating Gender: Bodybuilding and the Natural/Unnatural Continuum’.

³⁵ See Atkinson, ‘Playing with Fire: Masculinity, Health and Sports Supplements’; Bryman, Social Research Methods.

³⁶ Biscomb, ‘Pathologised Subjectivies: A Sociological Critique of Exercise Dependence’.

³⁷ Bamber et al. , ‘It's Exercise or Nothing: A Qualitative Analysis of Exercise Dependence’; For details about the Exercise Dependence Questionnaire see Ogden, Veale and Summers, ‘The Development and Validation of the Exercise Dependence Questionnaire’.

³⁸ Bamber et al., ‘It's Exercise or Nothing: A Qualitative Analysis of Exercise Dependence’.

³⁹ Bamber et al., ‘Diagnostic Criteria for Exercise Dependence in Women’; Hausenblas and Symons Downs, ‘Exercise Dependence: A Systematic Review’.

⁴⁰ Biscomb, ‘Pathologised Subjectivies: A Sociological Critique of Exercise Dependence’; Bamber et al., ‘Diagnostic Criteria for Exercise Dependence in Women’.

⁴¹ Bamber et al., ‘Diagnostic Criteria for Exercise Dependence in Women’; Hausenblas and Symons Downs, ‘Exercise Dependence: A Systematic Review’.

⁴² See Bryman, Social Research Methods.

⁴³ See Silverman, Interpreting Qualitative Data; Strauss and Corbin, Basics of Qualitative Research.

⁴⁴ See Patton, Research and Evaluation Methods.

⁴⁵ Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

⁴⁶ Bamber et al., ‘Diagnostic Criteria for Exercise Dependence in Women’; Hausenblas and Symons Downs, ‘Exercise Dependence: A Systematic Review’.

⁴⁷ Ibid.

⁴⁸ Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

⁴⁹ See, for example, Brandl-Bredenbeck and Brettschneider, ‘Sport Involvement and Self-concept in German and American Adolescents: A Cross Cultural Study’; Curry, ‘The Effects of Receiving a College Letter on the Sport Identity’; Curry and Weaner, ‘Sporting Identity Salience, Commitment, and the Involvement of Self in Role: Measurement Issues’; Curry and Weiss, ‘Sport Identity and Motivation for Sport Participation: A Comparison between American College Athletes and Austrian Student Sport Club Members’.

⁵⁰ Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

⁵¹ Mead, Mind, Self and Society; Meltzer, ‘Meads Social Psychology’, 10.

⁵² Groves et al., ‘Exercise Dependence, Self-esteem and Identity Reinforcement: A Comparison of Three Universities in the United Kingdom’.

⁵³ Donnelly and Young, ‘The Construction and Confirmation of Identity in Sport Subcultures’.

⁵⁴ Ibid, 230.

⁵⁵ Wheaton, ‘Just Do It: Consumption, Commitment and Identity in the Windsurfing Subculture’, 264.

⁵⁶ Donnelly and Young, ‘The Construction and Confirmation of Identity in Sport Subcultures’.

⁵⁷ Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

⁵⁸ Ibid.

⁵⁹ Bamber et al., ‘Diagnostic Criteria for Exercise Dependence in Women’; Hausenblas and Symons Downs, ‘Exercise Dependence: A Systematic Review’.

⁶⁰ Ibid.

⁶¹ Ibid.

⁶² Wearing, ‘Leisure and Women's Identity: Conformity or Individuality’; Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

⁶³ Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

⁶⁴ Bamber et al., ‘Diagnostic Criteria for Exercise Dependence in Women’; Hausenblas and Symons Downs, ‘Exercise Dependence: A Systematic Review’.

⁶⁵ Ibid.

⁶⁶ Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

⁶⁷ Groves et al., ‘Exercise Dependence, Self-esteem and Identity Reinforcement: A Comparison of Three Universities in the United Kingdom’.

⁶⁸ Markula, ‘Firm but Shapely, Fit but Sexy, Strong but Thin: The Postmodern Aerobicizing Female Bodies’.

⁶⁹ See for example, Atkinson, ‘Playing With Fire: Masculinity, Health and Sports Supplements’.

⁷⁰ Bamber et al., ‘Diagnostic Criteria for Exercise Dependence in Women’; Hausenblas and Symons Downs, ‘Exercise Dependence: A Systematic Review’.

⁷¹ Bamber et al., ‘Diagnostic Criteria for Exercise Dependence in Women’.

⁷² See Bamber et al., ‘Diagnostic Criteria for Exercise Dependence in Women’; Bryman, Social Research Methods.

⁷³ Bamber et al., ‘Diagnostic Criteria for Exercise Dependence in Women’.

⁷⁴ Groves et al., ‘Exercise Dependence, Self-esteem and Identity Reinforcement: A Comparison of Three Universities in the United Kingdom’; Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

⁷⁵ Weiss, ‘Identity Reinforcement in Sport: Revisiting the Symbolic Interactionist Legacy’.

⁷⁶ See for example, Hughes and Coakley, ‘Positive Deviance Among Athletes: The Implications of Overconformity to the Sports Ethic’; Nixon II, ‘Coaches’ Views of Risk, Pain, and Injury in Sport, with Special Reference to Gender Differences'; Safai, ‘ Sport and Health’; White, Young and McTeer, ‘Sport, Masculinity, and the Injured Body’.

⁷⁷ See, for example, Bamber et al., ‘Diagnostic Criteria for Exercise Dependence in Women’; Cook and Hausenblas, ‘The Role of Exercise Dependence for the Relationship between Exercise Behavior and Eating Pathology’; Veale, ‘Exercise Dependence’.