Retirement Transition in Ballet Dancers: "Coping Within and Coping Without"

Authors

  • Irina Roncaglia Sybil Elgar School, National Autistic Society

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-11.2.1348

Keywords:

retirement, transitions, ballet dancers, coping strategies, career development, life span, life course

Abstract

Retirement transitions in ballet dancers have been under researched. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the experiences of career transition in ballet dancers, from a life course perspective. Drawing upon existing transition models (SCHLOSSBERG, 1981) and sport literature (TAYLOR & OGILVIE, 1994), the paper investigates how ballet dancers cope (or not) with the transition and explores the different factors influencing the coping process. Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews from fourteen international ballet dancers were used adopting an idiographic approach through interpretative phenomenological analysis and tenets of grounded theory methodology. The results identified a main theme "Coping strategies: Coping within & without" and eight sub-categories: Denial, alienation, indecision, severance, acceptance, letting go, renegotiation and reconstruction. The individual can experience different responses, which trigger different coping processes and subsequently different types of support are sought. Finally the paper briefly discusses some of the implications for future career development and career guidance. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs100210

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Author Biography

Irina Roncaglia, Sybil Elgar School, National Autistic Society

Irina RONCAGLIA is a Chartered Practitioner Psychologist at Sybil Elgar School (National Autistic Society), where she works with young adults with ASDs with challenging behaviour. She has published in the Australian Journal of Career Development, International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, in the Qualitative Methods in Psychology Newsletter and presented papers at several conferences. RONCAGLIA has completed her PhD on the Retirement Transition in Ballet Dancers through a Life Course approach with the University of London, Birkbeck.

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Published

2010-02-11

How to Cite

Roncaglia, I. (2010). Retirement Transition in Ballet Dancers: "Coping Within and Coping Without". Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-11.2.1348