2008/06/02 by Carla Willig · 197 citations
Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · #Adventure Sports and Sensation Seeking #Applied psychology #Health psychology #Interpretative phenomenological analysis #Medicine #Nursing #Outdoor and Experiential Education #Psychology #Public health #Qualitative research #Sign (mathematics) #Social psychology #Social science #Sociology #Winter Sports Injuries and Performance
paper · doi:10.1177/1359105307082459
published in Journal of Health Psychology 13(5), 690-702 (SAGE Publishing)
openalex publication_date 2008/06/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/18
This article is concerned with what it may mean to individuals to engage in practices that are physically challenging and risky. The article questions the assumptions that psychological health is commensurate with maintaining physical safety, and that risking one's health and physical safety is necessarily a sign of psychopathology. The research was based upon semi-structured interviews with eight extreme sport practitioners. The interviews were analysed using Colaizzi's version of the phenomenological method. The article explicates the themes identified in the analysis, and discusses their implications for health psychology theory and practice.