“I Love What I Do; That’s The Bottom Line”: Theory of Women’s Career Attraction and Retention in Sport Psychology

Rena M.G. Curvey, Shannon C. White, Myles T. Englis, Katherine C. Jensen, Marissa K. Bosco, Mikaela E. Thompson, Candice N. Hargons, Samantha N. Leavens, Emily A. Murphy

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The increasing representation of women in the field of sport psychology in recent years is the direct result of pioneering female practitioners and scholars. Although the contributions of these women are often relegated to the pages of textbooks, the exploration of women’s professional experiences is essential to understanding what sources lead women to engaging in sport psychology. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to generate a theory that explored the factors that influence women’s attraction and retention to sport psychology. An interpretivist–constructivist paradigm and constructivist grounded theory methodology was used to guide semistructured interviews with 17 cisgender female sport psychology practitioners. The findings of this study were used to develop the theory of women’s career attraction and retention in sport psychology. The theory comprised three categories including (a) sources of attraction, (b) training and professional development, and (c) sources of retention. Study findings and professional implications are discussed throughout.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)284-292
Number of pages9
JournalSport Psychologist
Volume36
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was supported by the University of Kentucky’s Arvle and Ellen Turner Thacker Endowment Fund. The funding agency had no role in study design, data collection or analysis, or preparation and submission of the manuscript. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Human Kinetics, Inc.

Keywords

  • female sport psychology practitioners
  • qualitative research

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Psychology

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