A comprehensive and valuable addition to the corpus of literature on exercise addiction

Stuart Carrington
St Mary’s University, Twickenham, UK

The positive consequences of sport are numerous and have been extensively researched, discussed, dissected, and critiqued. An indicative, but not exhaustive, list of such positive outcomes would include improved physical and mental well-being, increased confidence, enhanced social skills, and mastery of game-specific skills. These internal outcomes are complemented by external benefits, such as the reduction of crime via an increased sense of community and cohesion, and economic benefits due to the promotion of health, job creation, and tourism. So, if some sport is good, is more sport better? Sports philosophers note that some internal features of sport are not always desirable (e.g., the emphasis of winning over mastery), and, according to this new volume, Passion and Addiction in Sports and Exercise, undesirable outcomes may extend to the individual participant. Thus, stakeholders in sports and exercise would be advised to familiarise themselves with the concepts presented within.

The book is comprised of 17 chapters, which begin with problematizing the issue (e.g., if sport and exercise is so good, how can it ever be a bad thing?) setting the reader up for the first, and possibly most significant theoretical bedrock found within its pages, Vallerand and colleagues’ (2003) concept of harmonious versus obsessive passion. Drawing on the historical and philosophical origins of passion (including a discussion on Spinoza and Plato’s view of a word which has an etymological root of ‘suffering’), chapters 2 and 3 define and conceptualise the meaning of passion before applying its behavioural and psychological outcomes to sportspeople and exercisers. Readers who are directly involved with athletes will find these chapters beneficial, given that they touch upon the coach-athlete relationship and provide guidance on distinguishing and managing these types of passion.

The authors provide examples couched in a variety of perspectives to explain how control is wrestled from the participant despite, counterintuitively, their attempts to raven it back.

Making distinctions between terms is a particular strength of the book that becomes evident in chapters 4 to 7. Starting with ‘the runners’ high’, light is shed on how the reader can differentiate between adaptive and positive outcomes of exercise, and negative and maladaptive consequences. This is the focus of chapter 5, ‘Behavioural Addictions: Overview and Classifications’ where some pertinent characteristics of obsessive passion are identified. Most notable of these is the concept of control. The authors provide examples couched in a variety of perspectives to explain how control is wrestled from the participant despite, counterintuitively, their attempts to raven it back. For instance, from a behavioural perspective, participants may feel compelled to exercise due to negative reinforcement (e.g., to avoid a negative outcome such as weight gain or feeling lazy). This promotes a demand to exercise and key terms such as ‘compulsion’ are identified and explained. The issue of control is addressed through a psychological lens by applying self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2008), that dovetails nicely with criteria for exercise addiction identified in chapter 5. Importantly, chapter 7 uses these terms to identify the differences between commitment, undoubtedly important for athletes, and addiction which, as illustrated here, carries harmful collateral. These undesirable outcomes are the topic of chapter 8: ‘Psychological manifestations of exercise deprivation’, that makes it clear to the reader why obsessive passion and compulsion to exercise may not be helpful.

It is in the following chapters that, I believe, the value of the book is cemented. There is a fine line in many topics involved with sport and exercise that must be carefully navigated to avoid unwanted outcomes. In chapters 9-11, the authors present a conceptualisation of exercise addiction to distinguish between committed and disciplined practitioners, and those who may benefit from evaluating their goals and motivations. Chapter 10 does a good job evaluating the nuanced difference in its identification of primary and secondary forms of exercise dependence, followed by chapter 11, that explains dependence using psychosocial models.

At this point, the reader is well versed on the origin of the problem, a variety of explanations and perspectives to explain its existence and a rationale for change. Therefore Chapter 12 outlines methods to measure and assess exercise addiction and sets up the final chapters that begin with treatment of exercise addiction, before a philosophical discussion is had around whether addiction is a symptom or disorder, along with identification for future directions of research in this area.

Further to the benefits previously identified, such as the use of philosophical, psychological, and social perspectives to explain the issue, as well as the provision of clear terms to distinguish characteristics that may be easily muddled, a significant strength of the book lies in its criticality. The authors assert nothing without evidence of critical thinking, leaving the reader in no doubt that the contents are balanced and considered. For example, the need for replication regarding obsessive passion being positively correlated with burnout in a second activity (Vallerand et al., 2010) is an indication that the authors do not subscribe to any framework without sufficient support. This is a theme found throughout the book (see the discussion on Conboy’s, 1994, measure of commitment and dependence on page 85 for a good example of such criticality).

A potential area where greater depth and accuracy could have been demonstrated is in the chapter that discusses treatment. The authors repeatedly point out the importance of control and the need to resist demands (e.g., ‘I must exercise’) to promote well-being and adaptive behaviours, suggesting the challenge of existing schema would be beneficial. However, cognitive behavioural therapy is identified as a singular approach, rather than a family of treatments that possess similarities along with significant differences. Therefore, while acceptance commitment therapy is identified as an independent approach, other highly relevant approaches within the CBT family are omitted, such as rational-emotive behaviour therapy (REBT; Ellis, 1955), that has received significant investigation into this field and directly addresses the promotion of demands over preferences. (e.g., Knapp et al., 2022; Turner & Bennett, 2018).

In conclusion, this edition is a comprehensive and valuable addition to the corpus of literature on a contemporary subject, given the value placed on sporting prowess and physical fitness in modern society. The book is recommended without hesitation to any researcher, student, or stakeholder in the coaching or fitness industry and, of course, to athletes themselves.

Copyright © Stuart Carrington 2025

References

Conboy, J. K. (1994). The effects of exercise withdrawal on mood states of runners. Journal of Sport Behaviour, 17, 188-203.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Facilitating optimal motivation and psychological well-being across life domains. Canadian Psychology, 49, 14-23.

Ellis, A. (1955). New approaches to psychotherapy techniques. Journal of Clinical Psychology Monograph Supplement, 11, 1-53.

Knapp, S., Miller, A., Outar, L., Turner, M. (2023). Psychological well-being and exercise addiction: The treatment effects of an REBT intervention for females. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 64, 1022928.

Turner, M. J., & Bennett, R. (Eds.). (2018). Rational emotive behaviour therapy in sport and exercise. Routledge.

Vallerand, R. J., Blanchard, C., Mageau, G. A., Koestner, R., Ratelle, C., Léonard, M., … Marsolais, J. (2003). Les passions de l’aime: On obsessive and harmonious passion. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 85, 756-767.

Vallerand, R. J., Paquet, Y., Phillipe, F. L., & Charest, J. (2010). On the role of passion for work in burnout: A process model. Journal of Personality, 78, 289-312.