The affective and cognitive perspectives of older adult tennis players

The purpose of this investigation was to describe the perceptions of older adult tennis players from an affective (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975a) and from a cognitive perspective (Rybash, Hoyer, & Roodin, 1986). An additional purpose of the present investigation was to explore the potential interrelationship between Flow Theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975a) and the Encapsulation Model (Rybash, Hoyer, & Roodin, 1986) in the experiential accounts of the participants. The investigation was limited to a demographic questionnaire, the Progen Sport Flow Q-Sort (1978), and interview responses of five male and five female tennis players ranging in age from 40-75 years of age. The information generated by the Progen Sport Flow Q-Sort (1978) and the interview responses indicated that the older adult tennis players perceived the experiential feeling state of flow to be more descriptive of their tennis experiences than the experiential feeling states of worry and boredom. Also, the six elements of the flow experiential feeling state were perceived by the older adult tennis players to be characteristic of their tennis experiences. A comparison with previous research (Progen, 1978, 1981; McGirr, 1979) utilizing the Q-sort suggested some similarities and differences in the participants' perceptions of flow. The information generated by the interview responses also supported the Encapsulation Model (Rybash, Hoyer, & Roodin, 1986), i.e., knowledge is domain-based and the domain of personal knowledge experiences great change during the adult years. Two main themes emerged from an analysis of the interview responses: (a) the game of tennis was a self-revealing activity, and (b) the game of tennis was a shared experience. The analysis of the older adult tennis players' perceptions of their tennis experiences suggested four related factors: (a) gender, (b) skill level, (c) socialization, and (d) individual differences. The basis for and nature of these relationships was discussed. The information generated by the demographic questionnaire, the Progen Sport Flow Q-Sort (1978), and the interview responses allowed the interrelationship of Flow Theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975a) and the Encapsulation Model (Rybash, Hoyer, & Roodin, 1986) to be explored. The emergence of personal knowledge occurred in tennis experiences, which respondents described as being most like the experiential feeling state of flow. The older adult tennis players' personal involvement in and commitment to the game of tennis strengthened the interrelationship of the flow experience and the emergence of personal knowledge.