El cuerpo dispuesto: disaffordance identitaria en el deporte universitario: The Able Body: Identity Disaffordance in College Sports

Celina Peinado Beltrán; Daniel Fierro Leyva; Valeria Uriarte Camargo

doi:10.54104/papeles.v18n36.2380

Authors

Celina Peinado Beltrán Autonomous University of Sinaloa https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7953-8482 (unauthenticated)
Daniel Fierro Leyva Autonomous University of Sinaloa https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6477-4381 (unauthenticated)
Valeria Uriarte Camargo Autonomous University of Sinaloa https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1171-5800 (unauthenticated)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54104/papeles.v18n36.2380

Keywords:

Body pedagogy, higher education, disaffordance, epistemic appropriation, university sports, body identity

Abstract

Introduction: This article analyzes implicit body pedagogies in university sports contexts, conceptualizing obligatory bodily availability as a mechanism of identity disaffordance: the systematic restriction of perceived possibilities for self-conception. The literature has documented phenomena such as the internalization of body ideals, self-objectification, and athletic identity foreclosure; however, these constructs remain theoretically dispersed. The present work proposes that such phenomena constitute manifestations of epistemic appropriation—the process whereby external restrictions become internalized until they cease to be perceived as environmental coercion. Methods: A sequential mixed-methods design was employed, including Likert-type scales administered to 35 participants from university cheerleading teams and semi-structured interviews with selected cases. The scales function as heuristic tools for illustrating theoretically relevant patterns, without claims to psychometric validation or statistical generalization. Quantitative data were analyzed using Radial Analysis (RA), a geometric method that enables visualization of correlations between internalization dimensions and perceived pressure. Results and Discussion: Exploratory patterns illustrate the coexistence of high internalization of body mandates with low perceived external pressure, particularly from peers, confirming the mechanism of epistemic appropriation: when restriction has been successfully internalized, it ceases to appear external. Conclusions: The coherence of the model has direct implications for educational intervention: interventions should focus on environmental redesign that reconfigures the landscape of perceived possibilities, rather than on individualized interventions targeting personal dispositions.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Celina Peinado Beltrán, Autonomous University of Sinaloa

Docente e Investigadora de la Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Facultad de Psicología
Daniel Fierro Leyva, Autonomous University of Sinaloa

Secretario Administrativo de la Facultad de Psicología de la Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, jefe de Rama de la Diciplina Porras y docente de la Dirección General de Deportes
Valeria Uriarte Camargo, Autonomous University of Sinaloa

Docente de la Facultad de Deportes y de la Dirección General de Deportes

References

Aartun, I., Walseth, K., Standal, Ø. F. y Kirk, D. (2022). Pedagogies of embodiment in physical education: A literature review. Sport, Education and Society, 27(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2020.1821182

Barad, K. (2007). Meeting the universe halfway: Quantum physics and the entanglement of matter and meaning. Duke University Press.

Besnier, N., Brownell, S. y Carter, T. F. (2018). The anthropology of sport: Bodies, borders, biopolitics. University of California Press.

Bourdieu, P. (1978). Sport and social class. Social Science Information, 17(6), 819-840. https://doi.org/10.1177/053901847801700603

Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste. Harvard University Press.

Brewer, B. W. y Petitpas, A. J. (2017). Athletic identity foreclosure. Current Opinion in Psychology, 16, 118-122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.05.004

Buckley, G. L., Hall, L. E., Lassemillante, A.-C. M., Ackerman, K. E. y Belski, R. (2023). Understanding body image perceptions of former female athletes: A qualitative analysis. Body Image, 43, 493-507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.10.013

Burgon, R. H., Beard, J. y Waller, G. (2023). Body image concerns across different sports and sporting levels: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Body Image, 46, 9-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.04.007

Chapa, D. A. N., Johnson, S. N., Richson, B. N., Bjorlie, K., Won, Y. Q., Nelson, S. V., Ayres, J., Jun, D., Forbush, K. T., Christensen, K. A. y Perko, V. L. (2022). Eating‐disorder psychopathology in female athletes and non‐athletes: A meta‐analysis. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 55(7), 861-885. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23748

Chemero, A. P. (2009). Radical embodied cognitive science. The MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/8367.001.0001

Costanza-Chock, S. (2020). Design justice: Community-led practices to build the worlds we need. The MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/12255.001.0001

Creswell, J. W. y Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3.ª ed.). Sage.

Crossley, N. (2007). Researching embodiment by way of ‘body techniques’. The Sociological Review, 55(1), 80-94. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-954X.2007.00694.x

De Bruin, A. K., Oudejans, R. R. y Bakker, F. C. (2007). Dieting and body image in aesthetic sports: A comparison of Dutch female gymnasts and non-aesthetic sport participants. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 8(4), 507-520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2006.10.002

Escobar L.-Dellamary, L. (2026a). A basic introduction to the trace & trajectory framework: The torus passage (Version 7.0). https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202601.1964.v3

Escobar L.-Dellamary, L. (2026b). Radial Analysis: Meaning as Navigation in a Semiotic Field —The Epistemic Barriers (Version 7.0) (No. 2025111331). Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202511.1331.v3.

Escobar L.-Dellamary, L. (2026c). The wall teaches the rooms: Transduction, equivalence, and the cost of cross-interface coordination. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/yce2f_v1

Escobar L.-Dellamary, L. y Peinado Beltrán, C. (2026). You are in my realm: A formal account of epistemic appropriation. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202601.1087.v1

Evans, J., Rich, E., Allwood, R. y Davies, B. (2008). Body pedagogies, P/policy, health and gender. British Educational Research Journal, 34(3), 387-402. https://doi.org/10.1080/01411920802042812

Foucault, M. (1979). Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison (A. Sheridan, trad.). Vintage Books.

Fredrickson, B. L. y Roberts, T. A. (1997). Objectification theory: Toward understanding women’s lived experiences and mental health risks. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21(2), 173-206. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1997.tb00108.x

Fricker, M. (2007). Epistemic injustice: Power and the ethics of knowing. Oxford University Press.

Ghazzawi, H. A., Nimer, L. S., Haddad, A. J., Alhaj, O. A., Amawi, A. T., Pandi-Perumal, S. R., Trabelsi, K., Seeman, M. V. y Jahrami, H. (2024). A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of the prevalence of self-reported disordered eating and associated factors among athletes worldwide. Journal of Eating Disorders, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-024-00982-5

Gibson, J. J. (1979). The ecological approach to visual perception. Houghton Mifflin.

Haslam, C., Lam, B. C. P., Yang, J., Steffens, N. K., Haslam, S. A., Cruwys, T., Boen, F., Mertens, N., De Brandt, K., Wang, X., Mallett, C. J. y Fransen, K. (2021). When the final whistle blows: Social identity pathways support mental health and life satisfaction after retirement from competitive sport. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 57, 102049. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.102049

Jetten, J., Haslam, C., Haslam, S. A., Dingle, G. y Jones, J. M. (2014). How groups affect our health and well‐being: The path from theory to policy. Social Issues and Policy Review, 8(1), 103-130. https://doi.org/10.1111/sipr.12003

Kerr, G. y Dacyshyn, A. (2000). The retirement experiences of elite, female gymnasts. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 12(2), 115-133. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200008404218

Kirk, D. (2020). Precarity, critical pedagogy and physical education. Routledge.

Kracauer, S. (1995). The mass ornament: Weimar essays (T. Y. Levin, trad.). Harvard University Press.

Krane, V., Choi, P. Y., Baird, S. M., Aimar, C. M. y Kauer, K. J. (2004). Living the paradox: Female athletes negotiate femininity and muscularity. Sex Roles, 50(5), 315-329. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SERS.0000018888.48437.4f

Kunst, B. (2013). Working out contemporaneity: Dance and post-Fordism. En S. Hölscher y G. Siegmund (eds.), Dance, politics & co-immunity: Current perspectives on politics and communities in the arts (vol. 1, pp. 59-70). Diaphanes.

Lockton, D. (2006). Architectures of control in product design. Institution of Engineering Designers. https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/bitstream/2438/6396/2/28-31-ED.pdf

McConnell, A. R. (2011). The multiple self-aspects framework: Self-concept representation and its implications. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 15(1), 3-27. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868310371101

McConnell, A. R., Shoda, T. M. y Skulborstad, H. M. (2012). The self as a collection of multiple self-aspects: Structure, development, operation, and implications. Social Cognition, 30(4), 380-395. https://doi.org/10.1521/soco.2012.30.4.380

Nicholson, D. J. y Dupré, J. (eds.) (2018). Everything flows: Towards a processual philosophy of biology. Oxford University Press.

Nielsen, K. M., Nordgaard, J. y Henriksen, M. G. (2025). Fundamental issues in epistemic injustice in healthcare: KM Nielsen et al. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, 28(2), 291-301. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-025-10259-6

Pallotto, I. K., Sockol, L. E. y Stutts, L. A. (2022). General and sport-specific weight pressures as risk factors for body dissatisfaction and disordered eating among female collegiate athletes. Body Image, 40, 340-350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.01.014

Peinado Beltrán, C. (2025). Disaffordances identitarias y opresión internalizada: Decolonización de la discapacidad en comunidades sordas. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/ytgfr_v2

Schaefer, L. M., Burke, N. L., Thompson, J. K., Dedrick, R. F., Heinberg, L. J., Calogero, R. M. … y Swami, V. (2015). Development and validation of the Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4). Psychological Assessment, 27(1), 54-67. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037917

Shilling, C. (2010). Exploring the society-body-school nexus: Theoretical and methodology issues in the study of body pedagogics. Sport, Education and Society, 15(2), 151-167. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573321003683786

Shilling, C. (2017). Body pedagogics: Embodiment, cognition and cultural transmission. Sociology, 51(6), 1205-1221. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038516641868

Showers, C. J. y Zeigler‐Hill, V. (2007). Compartmentalization and integration: The evaluative organization of contextualized selves. Journal of Personality, 75(6), 1181-1204. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2007.00472.x

St. Pierre, E. A. (2021). Post qualitative inquiry, the refusal of method, and the risk of the new. Qualitative Inquiry, 27(1), 3-9. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800419863005

Steffens, N. K., Jetten, J., Haslam, C., Cruwys, T. y Haslam, S. A. (2016). Multiple social identities enhance health post-retirement because they are a basis for giving social support. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1519. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01519

Taylor, F. W. (1911). The principles of scientific management. Harper & Brothers.

Villegas Moreno, M. J., Londoño Pérez, C. y Pardo Adames, C. (2021). Validación del Cuestionario de Actitudes Socioculturales sobre la Apariencia (SATAQ-4) en población colombiana. Acta Colombiana de Psicología, 24(1), 86-95. https://doi.org/10.14718/acp.2021.24.1.8

Wittkower, D. E. (2016). Principles of anti-discriminatory design. En 2016 IEEE International Symposium on Ethics in Engineering, Science and Technology (ETHICS) (pp. 1-7). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ETHICS.2016.7560055

Zengaro, E. y Carmack, H. J. (2025). “It’s Your Whole Life”: Navigating identity and mental health in life after sports. Communication & Sport. https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795251341309