1. Sociocultural Factors Relating to both social and cultural matters Contributions that society makes to an individual development and the interaction between developing people and the culture in which they live.

2. Cultures and Societies have changed over time Sociocultural evolution can be defined as "the process by which structural reorganization is affected through time, eventually producing a form or structure which is qualitatively different from the ancestral form." Social customs, beliefs, values, and language are all part of what shapes a person's identity and reality. According to this approach, what a person thinks is based on his or her socio- cultural background.

3. Scientism Valuing only knowledge that is proven by science. Scientism is derived from people who follow the philosophy of ―positivism‖. This is a philosophy which believes that the only authentic and valuable knowledge useful to the world is knowledge that comes from affirmation of theories through strict scientific method. People who believe this about knowledge chose to ignore knowledge which is derived from other sources such as intuition, religion, attitudes and beliefs, the nature of relationships etc.

4. Technocentricity Is the ―body professions‖ (i.e. coaches, PE teachers, sport scientists, coaches and the fitness industry trainers etc) common understanding which relies on scientific approaches to the enhance performance in sport. It treats the body as a machine, to be measured and analysed with an end point of improving human performance. The body professionals related to sport tend to view bodies as objects or products that can be reshaped remoulded or repackaged to improved performance and even looks. We can change our bodies for the better.

5. Body viewed as a machine and if something goes wrong it can always be fixed. Overlooks other aspects of an athlete, which could impact upon their performance or affect their wellbeing such as spiritual, emotional, social or psychological. So what this assumes is that performance improvement is purely down to the use and application of science proven knowledge and does not take into account factors such as motivation, stress, sports psych, family factors, team culture etc. (Links to healthism)

6. Healthism Is a set of beliefs, which suggest that the health of an individual is their own sole responsibility. In other words an individual’s actions and habits, which are supposedly entirely within their control, will directly affect and determine their own well-being. This view aligns with a ‘body as machine’ view. Fails to consider factors outside an individual’s control such as environmental, ethical, economic, cultural and historical.

7. Commodification The inappropriate treatment of something as if it can be acquired or marketed like other commodities. In relation to sport, it is the utilisation of sport for the benefit of money, sponsors, scholarships and other benefits that may view sport as a business. People feel they have to have the best gear (money) etc to perform to their best. Buy something to add value!!!! Eg coach wears brand names. Students influenced to buy the same gear or equipment. Sport is seen from a corporate eye, where gameplay is ignored and the focus is on making as much capital as possible.

8. Commodification can be seen as how media and society can use the emotional ties with sport and recreation to make you spend money. “ Lycra might not be part of your fashion lexicon, but cycling shorts with chamois will transform your relationship with cycling. The built- in padding makes a ride exponentially more comfy. “ “People wear proper cycling gear for a reason, not to look cool; invest in some. The wicking fabric (which takes sweat away from your skin) really works, as does a decent windproof. It’s worth the money.” Commodification link is if you don’t invest in the correct clothing you won’t perform to your ability. Other people will always perform better than you. Spend money to get the results!!!

9. Sponsorship is also about the commodification of athletes bodies and sports teams. Corporate sponsors give money to athletes and in accepting money an athlete ―owes a performance. Therefore sponsors own the output. (e.g. Sports scholarships) Players and their teams have become commodities to nations, to regions, to clubs. Often national prestige and reputation rests of the successful realisation of the value attached to athletes bodies. Where performance is exchanged for medals and medals in turn symbolise national success. (Cameron, J. cited in Collins 2000:136/7).

10. Influence The more influence people have the more impact there is on others Eg Year 9 students will take more notice of a teacher than maybe a senior student Dan Cater will sell jockey underwear better than the Prime Minister

11. Sonny Bill Williams Sonny Bill has made himself into a commodity. He has spread himself across different sports and different sponsors etc for money and fame. The more media cover him the more people want of him. His assets are his body, strength and skills. He also has more than one target audience ie women, aspiring young men.

12. Assumes all social life is economically determined. Everything in society is seen to be based on economy/production. Emphasis on conflict ignores importance of gender, race & ethnicity, age & other factors. Ignores possibility that sport can be an individually empowering experience.

13. Behaviorism The term behaviorism refers to the school of psychology founded by John B. Watson based on the belief that behaviors can be measured, trained, and changed. Behaviorism, also known as behavioral psychology, is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. Conditioning occurs through interaction with the environment. Behaviorists believe that our responses to environmental stimuli shapes our behaviors. Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select -- doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant- chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors. --John Watson, Behaviorism, 1930

14. Hegemony “A relationship in which dominant groups in society temporarily dominate by their ability to persuade rather than force or coerce subordinate groups to be compliant”. Influence or authority over others The social, cultural, ideological, or economic influence exerted by a dominant group Social relationships influencing through dominance. (authority dominance over others)

15. Functionalist Doesn’t like straying away from the norm. Views cheating as a bad thing. Functionalism emphasizes the consensus and order that exist in society, focusing on social stability and shared public values. From this perspective, disorganization in the system, such as deviant behavior, leads to change because societal components must adjust to achieve stability. When one part of the system is not working or is dysfunctional, it affects all other parts and creates social problems, which leads to social change. Functionalism is often defined as the positive role of sport in society and how it contributes positively to the maintenance of wider society.

16. Social construction is one of the ways of understanding the world. A social construction, or a social construct, is an idea which may appear to be natural and obvious to those who accept it, but in reality is an invention of a particular culture or society. The implication is that social constructs are human choices rather than laws of nature. (E.g. Money – a $5 note in reality is simply a piece of paper!) Obvious social constructions are Games/Sport Language Money School grades Societal systems. Law and justice, education, health etc Less obvious social constructions are: Gender, race, religion, sexuality, morality, body image.

17. Critical Theorists (The people who are critical of sport!). The sociologists who are critical of sport are called the critical theorists. They believe that society is made up of groups of people who have more power, control and influence than other groups.

18. What are assumptions? An assumption is an idea or proposed meaning that is taken for granted, as if it were true. Assumptions are based upon beliefs that have not had careful consideration of and reflection on all the facts. They become taken for granted over time and they can become our „default thinking ‟ and we begin to accept them as true.

19. Other Sociocultural factors Gender (masculinity/ femininity Stereotypes Social construction - is concerned with the ways we think about and use categories to structure our experience and analysis of the world. (Jackson, Penrose)