Self-Esteem: A Study on Elite Para-Throwers of India

Abstract

The degree of valuation and competency that we give to ourselves determines our self-esteem. We may boost our self-esteem by having a good perception of our bodies as well as the physical talents and abilities we develop through sports. We gain a sense of positive self-worth as a consequence of the praise we receive through family and friends, as well as the social bonds we form as a result of our participation in sports and physical activity. Self-esteem plays a key role in athletic performance and sporting success. In the past, studies have focused on the self-esteem concept of sports psychology in sports in elite athletes; however, there is little research on self-esteem in para-sports. This study aimed to examine the self-esteem of elite Indian para-throwers who participated at the international level. Based on this, the aim of this study was to investigate the mental self-esteem levels of elite Indian. The study group of the research consisted of 11 para-throwers (6 = standing thrower and 5 = seated thrower) who participated at the international level (Paralympic, World Championship, World Grand Prix) aged 18–40 years. Purposeful sampling approaches and easily accessible sampling methods were used in the selection of the study group. The scale form was used to collect research data. The study consisted of two parts. In the first part, of this form, there was a personal information form developed by the investigator to collect demographic information of athletes, and in the second part, there was the “Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale” developed by Rosenberg (1965). After analysis of the data, it was found that there were no significant differences in self-esteem level at level 0.05 in both groups of para-throwers and most of the para-athletes found average on self-esteem concept.