RESEARCH_FILE
David Lavallee
Abertay University
Known for:Research on identity loss and adjustment difficulty during retirement from sport
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“Everyone here is a real athlete except me”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“I was selected the same way everyone in this room was selected. A rep going wrong doesn't change the selection.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
During one practice, quietly track one drill where a newer player is also present. Observe whether their good rep actually changes your body's capability or your technical baseline. Write one sentence afterward about what you saw.
Key findings
- 1997
With Gordon and Grove, documented elite athletes who experienced severe emotional difficulty when their sporting careers ended, tying the distress to loss of athletic identity rather than the career change itself. Retirement from Sport and the Loss of Athletic Identity ↗
- 2007
With Robinson, found in a qualitative study of retired gymnasts that adopting an identity based solely on the athlete role early in life left participants feeling lost and having to rebuild a sense of self after retirement. In Pursuit of an Identity: A Qualitative Exploration of Retirement from Women's Artistic Gymnastics ↗
- 2013
With Park and Tod, systematically reviewed 126 studies on career transition and found athletic identity to be one of the most consistent correlates of adjustment difficulty at retirement. Athletes' Career Transition Out of Sport: A Systematic Review ↗