The confidence delusion: A sociological exploration of participants’ confidence in sport-for-development

Abstract

Although sport is widely utilised as a tool for personal development, capacity building, and fostering peace, there are still numerous theoretical gaps in our knowledge about how sport influences individuals’ identities, and how this translates into their everyday lives. Within the academic literature there has been seemingly little focus placed upon participants’ emotional and embodied accounts of their sport-for-development (SfD) experiences. This paper uses phenomenologically-inspired theory to explore individuals’ lived experiences of a SfD course, and their descriptions of the social interactions and feelings of confidence they encountered, in order to address this lack of experiential data. An ethnographic methodology was used to collect data through four sports leadership course observations, and cyclical interviews over 4–10 months with eleven course attendees, plus individual interviews with five tutors. Participants’ understandings of their course experiences and the subsequent influence these understandings had on their lives were described through their use of the term confidence. A further phenomenological and sociological interrogation of this term enabled confidence to be seen as being experienced as a ‘frame’ and ‘through the body’ by participants. This study provides original conceptualisations of confidence in relation to participants’ SfD experiences, as well as important discussions regarding the role of emotions and embodiment in understanding the impact of SfD on participants’ everyday lives.

Inside the black box: A micro-sociological analysis of sport for development

“…IR theory views the situation ‘not as a cognitive construction but as a process by which shared emotions and intersubjective focus sweep individuals along by flooding their consciousness’ (Collins, 2004: 31). As we will show later in this paper, the value of this theoretical point for SfD research is not to be underestimated given the underexplored role of emotions and embodiment in SfD participants’ experiences (Scott, 2018).…”

“…At a fundamental level, Collins’s micro-sociology focuses much-needed attention on embodied emotions as a driving force behind human behaviour and experience. The cognition bias in SfD research has been profound, and appears to have only recently attracted explicit critique (Scott, 2018). Social cognitive theories of self-confidence, self-efficacy, self-esteem and perceived competence are dominant in SfD research that focuses on personal development (Coalter, 2007, 2013).…”

“…Social cognitive theories of self-confidence, self-efficacy, self-esteem and perceived competence are dominant in SfD research that focuses on personal development (Coalter, 2007, 2013). Scott (2018: 5) offers an important critique of the way terms such as confidence are used in SfD research, marketing and promotion, noting that the commonly-used phrase of ‘an increase in confidence’ ‘has not been queried as to how this takes place or what this means for the individuals concerned’. He argues that ‘the absence of the body [and emotions] in the large majority of SfD research is troubling’ and that the influence of emotions and embodiment within SfD experiences needs ‘greater interrogation in order to fully understand the influence SfD can have on peoples’ lives’ (Scott, 2018: 14).…”

“…Darnell et al (2018: 142) argue that research focused on the analysis of distinct SfD programmes’ outcomes and processes needs to be complemented by research ‘in and of the first person’, notably through ‘studies of the body in/and “the everyday”’. Scott (2018) similarly contends that there is a need for more research into SfD participants’ emotional and embodied experiences if we are to truly understand the impact of SfD on their everyday lives.…”

“…We revisit and reinterpret the results of these studies through a micro-sociological lens, focusing on the main tenets and elements of IR theory. Key examples of relevant studies include Scott (2018), Debognies et al (2019), Moreau et al (2018), Schaillée et al (2017) and Segura Trejo et al (2017). We also draw on studies in the adjacent field of youth work that incorporate elements of SfD – most notably, Abdallah (2017).…”