BEYOND THE WHITEBOARD Exploring the relationships between social identity, social comparisons, motivation, self-efficacy and well-being in CrossFit.

Abstract

Many describe CrossFit workouts as brutal and intense and its participants are often highly motivated. The environment of CrossFit gyms and some of its cultural artefacts can elicit processes of interaction, social comparison, and thus thrust interpersonal competition. This explorative study aims to unveil what relationships exist between these constructs and how they relate to CrossFitters’ motivation, goal setting, self-esteem and well-being. A total of 245 CrossFitters completed the survey that was used to measure their scores on the different constructs. Among other things, the study found positive relationships between social identity and community inclusion, community inclusion and self-esteem, and a negative moderationeffect of bonding social capital on the relationship between body satisfaction and self-esteem. Further results and implications are discussed.