Re-Establishing Rob's Athletic Identity

WHAT:  Rob’s uncertainty in his recovery and ability to perform at a high level again seem to be normal.  One major challenge Rob is facing, which a therapist needs to address, is to maintain his own personal athletic identity which was developed in high school and not yet established at the collegiate level as he was injured during his first match.  Rob appears to have much lower self confidence and self-efficacy as a result from this injury and in order to him to become an elite player once again he needs to regain these self-perceptions.

SO WHAT:  Gill (2008) explains that self-efficacy and self-confidence are in incredibly important when it comes to self-perceptions in sport and exercise psychology.  Knowing that Rob was performing at a highly ranked institution it’s more than likely that Rob was not only confident in his game, but also had high self efficacy prior to his injury.  If Rob loses this confidence and level of self-efficacy, he will lose many of the attributes of what makes elite athletes’ elite.  This will then lead to a loss of athletic identity if he no longer competes, and similar to retired athletes Lally (2007) speaks of, Rob may redefine his sense of identity.  The case study states that Rob wonders “who he will be and what he will do without tennis (p. 82)” which is consistent with the athletes one month prior to retirement in Lally’s (2007) study. 

NOW WHAT: As a trainer or coach, the first thing to do is recognize Rob’s remarks as him losing his sense of identity and self-efficacy.  As mentioned, Rob states that he is unsure about his future in tennis, and life after tennis.  This is exactly the way that the successful collegiate athletes felt in Lally’s (2007) study in which students were nearing an end to their competitive careers in their respective sport.  In the study, almost all of the athletes were able to make the transition away from sports quite well, as a coach or trainer you want the athlete to make a full recovery and once again compete at a high level.  If negative thoughts and feelings are directed towards the recovery process it is important to intervene promptly and appropriately.

Performance accomplishments, according to Gill (2008), have one of the strongest effects on self-efficacy.  This may explain why Rob is voicing his concern for his future as a tennis player.  Self-efficacy, even in rehabilitation settings, helps determine the physical capabilities of athletes, especially in relation to the speed of recovery.  As a coach or trainer I think you could continue to remind Rob of his past accomplishments and what accomplishments he is still capable of achieving.  Right now Rob appears to be struggling with his physical self-worth as he is doesn’t seem to be satisfied with the rehabilitation and is not expressing feelings of happiness so it vital that he stays positive and motivated towards a specific goal; competing once again.

While motivating Rob to continue his rehabilitation there is still concern about him losing his athletic identity, and if that were to happen it would be unlikely that he come back to the game he loves.  I believe the most effective way for Rob to avoid losing his athletic identity would be to continue to treat him as an athlete and also encourage him to think like an athlete to uphold his athletic schema.  The negative affectivity he is experiencing from not participating in the sport he knows best is slowly deteriorating his athletic identity.  In order to counteract this Rob should continue to participate in practices, workouts, act like and athlete and live like and athlete.   It is possible that this may further frustrate Rob as he is still unable to participate with his teammates, but this can be turned around and used as further motivation to continue working hard in rehab.  Constantly remind Rob where he will fit into the team once he makes his return, make clear to Rob the positive things he is doing in his rehab process, and make an extra point to be positive about his return as a coach or trainer.  If he was to feel any sense of doubt or discourage from those around him, it may completely destroy any self-efficacy he does half.  On the contrary, being upbeat and positive about Rob’s return may bolster his self-efficacy and help motivate him to continue working hard in his recovery. 

CONCLUSION: In conclusion I believe it is vital to recognize thoughts of doubt in relation to making a recovery from serious injuries.  Once this is done the trainer or coach must constantly motivate the athlete by avoiding loss of identity and keeping self-efficacy high.  In order to do this, I believe it would be effective to continue to include the recovering athlete in all of the teams activities and to be positive in reminding the athlete what he has accomplished and what he still has yet to accomplish.  If Rob were to lose confidence in his abilities and redefine his identity, he may never compete at a high level again.

REFERENCES:

Lally, P. (2007). Identity and athletic retirement: A prospective study. Psychology of Sport and Exercise,

         8, 85-99.

Gill, D. L., & Williams, L. (2008). Psychological dynamics of sport and exercise (3rd Ed.). Champaign, IL:

         Human Kinetics.