Speakers
Description
This presentation explores how the embodied knowledge and lived experience of sports’ addicts contributes to a greater understanding of sport addiction, a concept that has been debated since its first appearance in scientific literature in the 1970s. More precisely, we want to grasp: 1) the process of self-identification and self-justification of an addictive relationship to sport; 2) how sport addicts make sense of their relationship to sport and the body; and 3) the impact of this addictive practice on social relationships. Adopting a framework inspired by carnal sociology and a phenomenologically oriented lens, our methodology consists of 17 running interviews with persons who defines themselves as sport-addicts. Our results have highlighted the existence of the major role played by the relationship to the body for this specific addiction. Sometimes associated with the terminology of junkie, but also of machine and performance, the body is the first concern of sports addiction. However, we consider sports addiction as hypernormative, because unlike other addictions (especially those involving substances), sports addicts function very well socially and hold valued jobs. Addiction to sports therefore seems to be a functional addiction, even a socially valued one, which probably prevents it from being codified as a pathology within the DSM.
