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Athletic Identity: Complexity Of The “Iceberg”, Jamian Newton, Diane L. Gill, Erin Reifsteck

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

Athletic identity is a common topic in research on athlete experiences and development. Many researchers rely on the understanding of athletic identity as conceptualized by Brewer, Van Raalte, and Linder (1993). This seminal work provided a foundational understanding for conducting survey research on athletic identity. However, the emphasis on survey approaches has resulted in an incomplete understanding of athletic identity as deeper meanings of the construct are taken for granted (Ronkainen, Kavoura, & Ryba, 2016a). To develop a more nuanced conceptualization of athletic identity, the current study used a qualitative descriptive approach to explore the meaning of athletic identity from …