SOCIOCULTURAL

FACTORS
3.3 The Event

WHAT HAS AFFECTED

YOU MOST?
SOCIOCULTURA

Biophysical

Refers to the way

L
Other factors which

scientific knowledge
can be applied in an
attempt to improve
performance in
physical activity.

may influence
performance and
performance
improvement. These
may include:

Functional anatomy

Gender

Biomechanics

Commodification

Skill learning theory

Technocentricity

Sports psychology

Body as a machine
Healthism
Scientism

SOCIOCULTURAL FACTORS
-Masculinity
-Social
construction

GENDER

-Femininity
-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?

ACTIVITY

Challenge the following

statements. Write your
responses in your books.

1. When men play sport they are seen as being Gay if they
choose to wear/use pink coloured clothing/equipment.
2. 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?

Commodification
How sport is
represented
Sponsorship at major
sporting events

Marketing
sport

Athletes seen as
being marketable
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- These individuals no longer represent their club, their country or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

ACTIVITY
Critically discuss how this video portrays the
All Blacks.

Who is being impacted?

What is the impact on New Zealand
society?

TECHNOCENTRICITY, HEALTHISM
& THE BODY AS A PROJECT
These 3 factors are very similar but here are the main differences.

Technocentricit
y
Body is measured and
analysed by sports
professionals (e.g.
coaches) with an end
point of improving
human performance.

Healthism
A set of assumptions,
based on the belief
that health is solely an
individual
responsibility.

The Body
as a Project
View of the body
where it is seen as an
object to be
manipulated, modelled
and sculpted into a
mostly unobtainable
societal perfection.
Body seen as an entity
that is in the
process of becoming a
project.

TECHNOCENTRICITY
Body Professions
e.g. Coaches, PE
teachers, Sports
Scientists.

Body is a
machine
Bodies as objects or products
that can be reshaped

Improvement of
human
performance

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.

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

Responsible for own Health

Illness treated
with medicine

HEALTHISM

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.

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?

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

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.

Using science to
acquire knowledge

SCIENTISM

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 individuals hauora and lives.

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.