| dc.description.abstract | This master thesis is developed as a finishing thesis in the Master of Arts (MA) in Cultural Studies at the University of South-eastern University during the period from August 2020 to May 2021.
Risk sport is a universal descriptor for a multitude of nontraditional independent and organized adventure sports. Participation in risk sports have grown exponentially, and still there is little understanding of people’s motivations in such risky sports. The purpose of this master thesis is to identify and examine the motivations of four professional risk sport athletes for living on the edge doing risk sport. Why do these people risk their lives to do the risk sport they like the most? What is the underlying motivational structure for participants who engage in risk sport?
The dominant theories focus on sociological explanations, but psychological and physical explanations will also be touched. These perspectives propose that personality traits, socialization processes and previous experiences induce a desire for risk sport athletes to put their life at risk through risk sports. The main psychological theory in this thesis is sensation-seeking.
Four Danish risk sport athletes were interviewed about their experience of doing risk sport. The interview participants were an ultra-runner, an ultra-cyclist, a wakeboarder and a freestyle motocross driver. Interviews were conducted by phone, and they were recorded, transcribed, and finally thematically analyzed. The research is based upon these semi-structured interviews. This study applies a descriptive and explorative research design along with qualitative research method.
The study utilized a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology.
The findings reveal that motivations in extreme sport do not simply mirror traditional images of risk taking and adrenaline rush. It also includes an exploration of the waves in which humans seek fundamental human values. This study suggests that what motivates an athlete to participate in extreme sports can be linked to social, sensation-seeking, and self-image motives.
Keywords: risk sport, risk taking, athletes, motivation | |