Sociocultural Factors

1. Sociocultural Factors 3.3 The Event

3. What has affected you most? Biophysical Sociocultural Refers to the way scientific knowledge can be applied in an attempt to improve performance in physical activity. Functional anatomy Biomechanics Skill learning theory Sports psychology Other factors which may influence performance and performance improvement. These may include: Gender Commodification Technocentricity Body as a machine Healthism Scientism Body as a project

4. Sociocultural Factors -Masculinity -Femininity -Social construction -Stereotypes • Many factors influence us to participate in sport (Family, friends, gender etc.). • It is fairly common to see boys playing rugby at school and girls playing netball. This is largely due to the gender and stereotypes we as a society have developed. • Does swimming conform to gender stereotyping? • Are sports continuing to be gender specific? • Who influences us to think that some sports should be males/female only? GENDER

5. Activity Challenge the following statements. Write your responses in your books. When men play sport they are seen as being ‘Gay’ if they choose to wear/use pink coloured clothing/equipment. Women in the 2012 Olympics are being hailed as the role models we need “in the age of the Kardashian”. Great Britain's women won 22 of the total 65 medals, 10 of them gold. • Challenge assumptions • - Who benefits/who does not?

6. Athletes seen as being marketable How sport is represented Marketing sport Sponsorship at major sporting events Athletes’ bodies • When products, people, sports are turned into commodities • Corporate sponsors expect huge levels of commitment from participating athletes. • Star athletes compete on sponsored circuits. • Athletes are lured with prize money. Injuries may be ignored, educational opportunities are put aside in the quest for success and banned substances are employed to enhance performance. • These individuals no longer represent their club, their country or themselves, they represent the corporations who provide the money for their sport. Commodification

7. Activity Critically discuss how this video portrays the All Blacks. Who is being impacted? What is the impact on New Zealand society?

8. Technocentricity, Healthism& The Body as a Project These 3 factors are very similar but here are the main differences.

9. Technocentricity Body is a machine Body Profession’s e.g. Coaches, PE teachers, Sports Scientists. Improvement of human performance Bodies as objects or products that can be reshaped • Scientific approaches to enhance performance in sport. • It treats the body as a machine, which is measured, analysed with an end point of improving human performance. • ‘We can change our bodies for the better’- mentality. • View of the body suits athletes who want to improve their performance in sport (elite performance) • Does not account for athletes who participate in sport to make friends, build communities, movement for fun. • The scientific view of the body often tends to ignore the idea that people have other dimensions to their identity other than the physical – that is the emotional, intellectual, spiritual and social.

10. What is ‘The Perfect Body’? Exercise is presented as the only useful and valid knowledge about bodies and the performance of bodies. It is used to maximise efficiency and performance for athletes. So what makes up “The Perfect Body??? Think of as many examples as you can…

11. Responsible for own Health Healthism Illness treated with medicine Diet and Exercise Prevention of diseases. - A set of assumptions, based on the belief that health is solely an individuals responsibility. • Concept that body is a machine that must be maintained and ‘kept in tune’ like a car. • Ignores all the SPEECH (societal, political, environmental, economic, ethical, cultural and historical influences on individuals health. • Some individuals feel superior to those who ‘choose’ to be unhealthy. • Those who fail to take responsibility for their health are undeserving of ‘healthy individuals’ sympathy or assistance (financial). • Fitness industry promotes healthism and promotes the view that looking after our bodies are our responsibility. • Does not take into account people that work around dangerous chemicals, polluted city environments and damp housing due to financial difficulties.

12. Activity How is swmming impacted and to what extent? Who is influential? Who benefits and who does not? How could New Zealand Society be impacted?

13. The body as a project Societal perfection Body is able to be manipulated, moulded and sculpted Bodies become a ‘project’ - A view of the body where it is seen as an object to be manipulated, modelled and sculpted into a mostly unobtainable societal perfection. • Individuals identities shaped by the way they look • Body is turned into a project which must be worked at….its shape, size, appearance and contents are able to be physically shaped to unattainable perfection. • Bodies become societal symbols

14. Activity Watch the following video: As a class discuss the impacts involved with sculpting your body to perfection. Discuss other impacts that can happen as a result of neglecting your body.

15. Scientism Using science to acquire knowledge Science = Only way of establishing meaning/understanding • A philosophy which believes that the only authentic and valuable knowledge useful to the world is knowledge that comes from affirmation of theories through strict scientific method. • People who believe this about knowledge chose to ignore knowledge which is derived from other sources such as intuition, religion, attitudes and beliefs, the nature of relationships etc. • Those who “buy into” scientism ignore the social, political, environmental ethical, economic, cultural and historical (SPEEECH) influences on individual‘s hauora and lives.

16. Task Go back through your session plans and evaluations and make notes on when and how you were affected by any of the socio-cultural factors discussed.