Keywords
escapism
psychological factors
running
sports
How to Cite
Abstract
Introduction: Street running is widely practiced and may be associated with escapism, which manifests as self-expansion or self-suppression. However, it is still poorly understood how these dimensions are expressed in experienced runners.
Objective: To characterize the motivational dimensions of escapism in street runners, identifying the predominance between the dimensions of self-expansion and self-suppression.
Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was carried out in which 33 experienced street runners participated (with a minimum frequency of three weekly training sessions and a practice and competition time of more than one year. The participants responded, via Google Forms, to the translated version of the Escapism Scale, composed of 14 items distributed among the dimensions of self-expansion, self-suppression and attention to the task, in a five-point Likert format. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, with calculation of means and percentages to characterize the predominance of the motivational dimensions of escapism.
Results: It was found that experienced runners relate more to the positive dimension in relation to escapism. That is, they practiced street running with a focus on personal improvement, not adopting the negative approach related to escaping from everyday problems.
Conclusion: Experienced runners tend to be more involved with positive motivations, related to self-expansion, using running as a means of personal growth and well-being, unlike the negative approach of escaping the problems of daily life.
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