PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH CLIMBING PRACTICE: A UNIQUE CASE STUDY

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to know and identify the main psychological factors associated with the alpinism pratice through the study of an expert climber. The choise of a single case study as a strategy of investigation, is because we´ve tried to analize in deeply and exaustivly a male alpinist, highly engaged with the activity, with a large curriculum and experience in the high altitude alpinism, as in Himalayas mountains. The data collecting was done through an in-depth and semi-structured interview. The texts resulting from the transcription were introduced in an analysis program of qualitative dates, Nud.ist 6.0. The main results show that the Intrinsic Motivation, Commitment and the Self- Confidence are the most important psychological skills considered by the alpinist. The main reasons that lead to the alpinism pratice seem to be the need for pushing one´s limits and the challenge and opportunity for action. The Personal Experience seems to be a variable which have a lot of influence over the majority of psychological skills such Emotional Control, Self-Confidence or Decision-Making. In general, the psychological skills and features associated with sport expertise match the psychological skills of the studied alpinist.