The mechanism of role adoption is a constituent of identity reinforcement or social recognition in sport. It enables actors to realize and confirm their identities. This can occur because sport is a culturally specific and clearly visible activity. As sport takes place unequivocally within the context of society's significant symbols, it can have an impact on the actor's self-perception, self-esteem, and self-worth. In other words, sport has a vital social dimension since it ideally combines self-recognition with social recognition. Role analysis and symbolic interactionism are reviewed for their potential to inform these dimensions of sport's place in modern societies.
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