"That Whole Macho Male Persona Thing" : The role of insults in young Australian male friendships
- Authors: McDiarmid, Emily , Gill, Peter , McLachlan, Angus , Ali, Lutfiye
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Psychology of Men & Masculinity Vol. 18, no. 4 (2017), p. 352-360
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Same-sex friendship can increase an individual's health, happiness, and sense of social connectedness. To date, few studies have explored young men's accounts of their friendships and the communication strategies within close male friendships. The present qualitative study explored the ways in which 7 young, White, heterosexual, working/middle-class men from rural Victoria construct their understanding of their friendships and the discursive strategies used to signify meaning, specifically the role of insults, in close male friendships. Drawing on tools from discursive theory, thematic analysis of the data demonstrated that discursive strategies including insults, silences, and direct interrogation were used to signify closeness, gratefulness, concern, and masculinity and dominance. These discursive strategies are informed by hegemonic representations of masculinity, which the young men negotiate within everyday interactions with close male friends. The findings further support past research that suggests that in the absence of explicit verbal expression of closeness, male friendships can be intimate and psychosocially significant. It is suggested that health promotion in men should focus on informal spaces where men can enjoy each other's company. By exploring the breadth of communication styles and strategies of men, we are better equipped to understand men's needs.
Forced retirement transition : a narrative case study of an elite Australian Rules football player
- Authors: Demetriou, Andreas , Jago, Andrew , Gill, Peter , Mesagno, Christopher , Ali, Lutfiye
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology Vol. 18, no. 3 (2020), p. 321-335
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Retirement from elite sport is a complex and often-problematic process. The current study explores a negative case study of an athlete recently retired from a team sport (Australian Rules Football) in order to generate knowledge on how to improve the retirement process. Three semi-structured interviews were undertaken less than 5 years post retirement, and archival career records were gathered from online sources. Data were coded to construct a narrative account of the participant’s career and retirement. Narrative analysis also revealed that the retirement transition from elite sports for this athlete was problematic and caused considerable personal distress. We suggest that the means of improving retirement transition and reducing harm to players include fostering alternative life narratives and increasing self-complexity, utilising norm appropriate communication strategies, and recognising retirement as a potential grieving period for loss of community. © 2018, © 2018 International Society of Sport Psychology.