The Psychology Of Doping In Sport

This is the first book to draw together cutting-edge research on the psychological processes underlying doping use in sport and exercise, thereby filling an important gap in our understanding of this centrally important issue in contemporary sport. Covering diverse areas of psychology such as social cognition, automatic and controlled processes, moral decision-making, and societal and contextual influence on behaviour, the book also explores methodological considerations surrounding doping assessment in psychological research as well as future directions for evidence-based preventive interventions and anti-doping education. Written by a team of leading international researchers from countries including the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, Greece, Germany, Italy, Denmark and Ireland, the book integrates empirical findings with theoretical guidance for future psychological research on doping, and illuminates the challenges, needs and priorities in contemporary doping prevention. It is important reading for advanced students and researchers in sport and exercise science, sport management and sport policy, and will open up new perspectives for professional coaches, sports administrators, policy makers and sport medicine specialists looking to better understand the doping behaviours of athletes in sport.

The debate around the role of drugs in sport is vibrant. There is a wealth of evidence from the hard end of science, telling us how drugs work, how drug testing works, and how many athletes have fallen foul of the system. The evidence from social science is still building momentum. For example, what makes an athlete use a performance enhancing substance? "To win" simply fails to explain the drug use behaviour we see among athletes. This book provides a foundation for anyone trying to understand the drugs in sport problem beyond the hard science by looking at the "people factor" from different perspectives. After building a case for the social science of drugs in sport, it is examined from the ethical, sociological, economic, legal and psychological points of view. The book concludes with a definitive statement about what researchers, policy makers, sports administrators, athletes and fans can do to achieve a social science of drugs in sport that puts people firmly in the centre of the debate. This volume was published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

The book explores the changing landscape of anti-doping investigations, which now largely centre on the collection of intelligence about doping through processes such as surveillance, interviews with witnesses and interrogation of athletes. It examines why and how investigative processes, hitherto typically reserved for serious crimes, have been co-opted by anti-doping agencies into a situation where their potential for harm has received little or no critical consideration. This book highlights the opportunities and threats inherent in adopting new investigative processes. It is expected that many of the same problems that have engulfed forensic investigations over the last two decades, such as miscarriages of justice, are likely to surface in future anti-doping investigations. Drawing on empirical research and theory from a range of disciplines, including: forensic psychology, criminology, policing, law, sports management and policy studies, this book fills a scholarly vacuum on the investigation of doping through non-biological detection methods.

The book addresses a series of key aspects of contemporary anti-doping policy. At the broader philosophical level, questions are asked about whether the scale of anti-doping activity and the intrusiveness of anti-doping policy in the lives of athletes is proportionate to the problem of doping. Aspects of existing anti-doping practice are also explored at the level of transnational organisations such as the EU and WADA and also at the level of the personal choices that need to be made by athletes and doctors in relation to doping control. Other contributions examine the complex issue of assessing the extent of doping and also understanding the factors that motivate athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs. The analyses provided by academic contributors are complemented by three contributions, from the World Anti-Doping Agency, UK Anti-Doping and the International Tennis Federation, which provide insights into the strategies designed to reduce the prevalence of doping in sport and the management of anti-doping processes. This book was published as a special issue of the International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics.

Sport may teach people how to win gracefully, but it may also teach them how to win at any cost, even if this involves violence or cheating. Here, a sociological perspective is brought to bear on the topic of how sport operates.

Doping represents the dark side of amateur and professional sports – in order to protect athletes around the globe, anti-doping rules are continuously revised and improved. This publication reviews the current regulatory framework, scientific aspects, future approaches, and social and ethical dimensions of the fight against doping in sport. Prominent experts on the implementation of anti-doping strategies, as well as leading researchers in science and medicine, have contributed to this publication. In keeping with its interdisciplinary origin, the book is intended for athletes, coaches, students, scientists, anti-doping officials, and all others interested in anti-doping and sports. Ranging from legal and educational to scientific and medical issues, this collection emphasizes the need for a multidisciplinary approach and the importance of preventative strategies in the fight against doping in sports.

Doping in Cycling: Interdisciplinary Perspectives provides an up-to-date overview of the knowledge about doping and anti-doping in the sport that has dominated doping headlines for at least two decades. It critically addresses overarching questions related to doping and anti-doping, and topical issues being raised in the agenda of policy-makers at the global level. The book features cross-disciplinary contributions from international leading scholars in sports sociology, history, philosophy, psychology and criminology, and even beyond human and social sciences. Split into three parts (the use and supply of doping products; threats on cycling and opportunities for anti-doping; and issues, controversies, and stakes), it covers topics such as changing patterns of drug use in professional cycling, the impact of scientific advances on doping in cycling, whether cycling teams can prevent doping, whistleblowing on doping in cycling, and how to improve the credibility of the sport. This is a vital resource for researchers, students, policy-makers, anti-doping organisations and sports federations, and an important read for anyone involved in elite cycling.