Athletic-ideal internalisation: Lived experiences of female students

Abstract

Research has shown a clear relationship between the thin-ideal internalisation, disturbed eating and body-related disturbances. With regard to athletic internalisation, the relationship with these outcomes appears to be less detrimental than was found with the thin-ideal. However, minimal research has been done on the lived experiences of individuals subscribing to the athletic-ideal. This qualitative study followed a phenomenological approach to explore the perceptions of nine participants of their athletic-ideal internalisation. Data from semi-structured interviews were analysed through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results indicated a prominent theme of balance with regard to eating and exercise. In this study, it was evident that pursuits of participants of the athletic-ideal body are more focused on health-related goals than on appearance-related ideals. Following the guidelines of a healthy lifestyle and a balanced exercise routine seems to act as protective factors against body image disturbances, maladaptive eating and compulsive exercise.

Keywords: Athletic-ideal; Body dissatisfaction; Eating disturbances; Healthy lifestyle; Obligatory exercise; Thin-ideal