“You don’t get resilience overnight”: A Grounded theory framework of the A-R-C Sporting Resilience Development

Abstract

Resilience in sport is growing as a topic of investigation but little is known about how resilience develops in athletes. This study explored sporting resilience development in elite athletes over time using grounded theory. Participants from diverse cultural contexts were screened using Brief Resilience Scale (Smith et al., 2008). Sample included 10 competitive-elite athletes (5 men & women) who scored high, competing in individual/team sports. Experiential life-story interviews on sporting resilience development over time was conducted. Grounded theory was employed across ideation, data collection and analysis. Methodological rigour was established by incorporating checks and outcomes were judged using quality criteria. Findings are synthesised into A-R-C Development Model of sporting resilience indicating that antecedent protective factors (A) enable the engine of sporting resilience (R) which through metacognition-emotion-behaviour produces consequences (C) of positive adaptation or critical adaptation failure. Emergent theory provides an understanding of how sporting resilience develops over time in competitive-elite athletes.