Raglin’s (2007) study on The Psychology of the Marathoner highlights findings of psychological research involving marathoners distinguishing characteristics among groups, including elite and non-elite competitors. Psychology contributes to athletic performances. Psychologists define personality traits as: “relatively enduring differences among people in specific tendencies to perceive the world in a certain way and in dispositions to react or behave in a specified manner with predictable regularity” (Raglin 1). A psychological study of 80 female long-distance runners found that the female marathoner was twice as introverted as compared to norms (2:1) (Russell 1977). It’s important to understand the personality traits of the female runner, to understand the type of activism that will resonate. Given that female distance runners are more likely to be introverted, this stands to support my claim that running can act as quiet activism. Introverted runners may feel more comfortable with this quiet activism than more demonstrative acts of resistance.
Works Cited
Raglin, John S. “The Psychology of the Marathoner.” Sports Medicine, vol. 37, no. 4, 2007, pp. 404–407., doi:10.2165/00007256-200737040-00034.