Discussion of identity reconfirmation with retiring athletes

Abstract

We carried out a review of the literature on adjustment after athletic retirement, and presented several beneficial siggestions for future research.First, the literature was divided into two categories;theoretical study and empirical research.The theoretical studies suggested the following:1.Logical application from social gerontology and thanatology has been suggested to be useful for understanding athletic retirement:however, it left some questions about the full explanation for an athlete's leaving the sport.2.Models of adult transition could account for the various factors influencing athletes' responses to retirement.3.Life span development theory was suitable for understanding and explaining the athletes' experiences through athletic retirement.On the other hand, the empirical research suggested the following:1.The range of subjects investigated was extended from professional athletes to amateurs.2.Themes of research were transferred from finding the problems associated with athletic retirement and identifying factors affecting adaptation after retirement, to searching for concrete strategies of intervention.3.It was considered inportant for future research on athletic retirement to explain what elite athletes obtained through athletic retirement, how they obtained it, and how they put it to use in later life.Secondly, major career assistance programs in some foreign countries were reviewed.Most of these programs were found to be based on the life span development theory to help athletes through the transition period.These reviews demonstrated that it is necessary to grasp the experiences of retiring athletes and to identify several factors that contribute to adjustment during the postathletic period from a longitudinal perspective.In conclusion, we have suggested a useful framework for understanding and explaining athletic retirement as reconfirmation of ego identity.From this view point, retiring athletes should remain involved in athletic activities autonomously, and especially, during the period of transition, they should anticipate their socialization, and have some concrete perspectives about the post-athletic period before becoming confronted with a retirement crisis.