ATHLETIC IDENTITY - AN ACHILLES-HEEL TO THE SURVIVAL OF SELF

To illuminate the complex ways in which a strong athletic identity can act as an Achilles' heel in coming to terms with a disruptive life ev ent, this article presents biographical data of one elite athlete whos e career was prematurely terminated by illness. The analysis reveals h ow, as an individual descends from the heights of the extraordinary in to the mundane world of ordinariness, the loss of certain selves enfor ces a heightened reflexivity and awareness of previously taken-for-gra nted aspects of the body-self relationship that are no longer attainab le. The manner in which certain selves at the apex of an identity hier archy exert pressure on the individual to seek a restored self rather than opt for more attainable or realistic identifies is highlighted. T he problems of restorying the self when an individual is constrained b y limited narrative resources are also considered. Finally, some impli cations of the findings for health care professionals are discussed.