To hold and to discipline : a Winnicottian and Foucauldian examination of adolescent athletics through the case of Friday night lights

Author

Westley C. Rutter, Smith College

Publication Date

2013

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Department

School for Social Work

Keywords

Friday night lights (Television program), Adloescent psychology, Teenage athletes-Psychology, Team sports-Psychological aspects, Team sports-Social aspects, Winnicott, D. W. (Donald Woods), 1896-1971, Foucault, Michel, 1926-1984, Adolescents, Athletics

Abstract

This theoretical study examined the impact of organized team sports participation on adolescent psychosocial functioning and development. Theoretical concepts were illustrated with examples present in the high school football themed television series, Friday Night Lights. Winnicottian theories were used to explain how athletics could facilitate adolescent development and be psychologically reparative for adolescents who experienced early childhood caregiver failures. In contrast, Foucauldian concepts were applied to demonstrate how disciplinary mechanisms in sports may augment the effects of internalized oppression for adolescents of color and economically marginalized adolescents. The study explored the possible impact of sports-based interventions for youth, cautioning social workers to consider the holding and disciplinary mechanisms that may occur in sports contexts when working with adolescent athletes or making referrals to sports programs, especially when in practice with adolescents from oppressed populations.

Language

English

Comments

iii, 106 p. Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, 2013. Includes bibliographical references (p. 92-106)

Recommended Citation

Rutter, Westley C., "To hold and to discipline : a Winnicottian and Foucauldian examination of adolescent athletics through the case of Friday night lights" (2013). Masters Thesis, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/theses/976