Abstract
Objectives: The factors that encourage participation in ‘traditional’ exercise pursuits are relatively well understood; less is known, however, about the psychological motives that encourage female participation in forms of physical activity that are stigmatized. Using pole dancing as an exemplar of such an activity, the aim of this study was to identify females’ participation motives for this activity. Design: Guided by an interpretivist approach, a qualitative method was adopted to allow a group of female pole dancers to describe their reasons for participation. Method: Semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with 38 recreational through to regularly competitive adult female pole dancers (Mage = 31.24, SD = 8.41). Data were content analyzed using inductive thematic principles. Results: Stigma-related issues emerged as a driver of participation. Participants also described motives pertaining to themes of relatedness, autonomy, competence, and intrinsic motivation, as well as new stimuli and mental and physical wellbeing. Conclusion: Despite the stigma and negative stereotypes associated with participation in activities such as pole dancing, participants described how this perception contributed to a heightened sense of community that, in part, drove continued participation. Accordingly, these findings make a novel contribution to established bodies of literature grounded in stigma and optimal distinctiveness theory. Given the rise in popularity of some female-predominant stigmatized exercise pursuits (e.g., belly dancing, roller derby, lingerie football), research that examines this network of motives in other settings would be valuable in the future.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 104-113 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Psychology of Sport and Exercise |
| Volume | 36 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 May 2018 |
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“It's our little secret … an in-group, where everyone's in” : Females’ motives for participation in a stigmatized form of physical activity. / Nicholas, Joanna C.; Dimmock, James A.; Donnelly, Cyril J.; Alderson, Jacqueline A.; Jackson, Ben.
In: Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Vol. 36, 01.05.2018, p. 104-113.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - “It's our little secret … an in-group, where everyone's in”
T2 - Females’ motives for participation in a stigmatized form of physical activity
AU - Nicholas, Joanna C.
AU - Dimmock, James A.
AU - Donnelly, Cyril J.
AU - Alderson, Jacqueline A.
AU - Jackson, Ben
PY - 2018/5/1
Y1 - 2018/5/1
N2 - Objectives: The factors that encourage participation in ‘traditional’ exercise pursuits are relatively well understood; less is known, however, about the psychological motives that encourage female participation in forms of physical activity that are stigmatized. Using pole dancing as an exemplar of such an activity, the aim of this study was to identify females’ participation motives for this activity. Design: Guided by an interpretivist approach, a qualitative method was adopted to allow a group of female pole dancers to describe their reasons for participation. Method: Semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with 38 recreational through to regularly competitive adult female pole dancers (Mage = 31.24, SD = 8.41). Data were content analyzed using inductive thematic principles. Results: Stigma-related issues emerged as a driver of participation. Participants also described motives pertaining to themes of relatedness, autonomy, competence, and intrinsic motivation, as well as new stimuli and mental and physical wellbeing. Conclusion: Despite the stigma and negative stereotypes associated with participation in activities such as pole dancing, participants described how this perception contributed to a heightened sense of community that, in part, drove continued participation. Accordingly, these findings make a novel contribution to established bodies of literature grounded in stigma and optimal distinctiveness theory. Given the rise in popularity of some female-predominant stigmatized exercise pursuits (e.g., belly dancing, roller derby, lingerie football), research that examines this network of motives in other settings would be valuable in the future.
AB - Objectives: The factors that encourage participation in ‘traditional’ exercise pursuits are relatively well understood; less is known, however, about the psychological motives that encourage female participation in forms of physical activity that are stigmatized. Using pole dancing as an exemplar of such an activity, the aim of this study was to identify females’ participation motives for this activity. Design: Guided by an interpretivist approach, a qualitative method was adopted to allow a group of female pole dancers to describe their reasons for participation. Method: Semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with 38 recreational through to regularly competitive adult female pole dancers (Mage = 31.24, SD = 8.41). Data were content analyzed using inductive thematic principles. Results: Stigma-related issues emerged as a driver of participation. Participants also described motives pertaining to themes of relatedness, autonomy, competence, and intrinsic motivation, as well as new stimuli and mental and physical wellbeing. Conclusion: Despite the stigma and negative stereotypes associated with participation in activities such as pole dancing, participants described how this perception contributed to a heightened sense of community that, in part, drove continued participation. Accordingly, these findings make a novel contribution to established bodies of literature grounded in stigma and optimal distinctiveness theory. Given the rise in popularity of some female-predominant stigmatized exercise pursuits (e.g., belly dancing, roller derby, lingerie football), research that examines this network of motives in other settings would be valuable in the future.
KW - Motivation
KW - Optimal distinctiveness theory
KW - Pole dancing
KW - Psychological needs
KW - Stigma
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85042229842&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.02.003
DO - 10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.02.003
M3 - Article
VL - 36
SP - 104
EP - 113
JO - Psychology of Sport & Exercise
JF - Psychology of Sport & Exercise
SN - 1469-0292
ER -