Combination effects of athletic and academic identity on career maturity of collegiate student-athletes

This study aimed to examine the effects of athletic and academic identity development on career maturity in Japanese collegiate student-athletes. Cluster analysis was utilized to divide 324 participants into four groups according to their identity development and desire to become professional athletes. The group with high athletic and low academic identities had lower career maturity and career exploration behaviors compared with the low athletic and high academic identities and both high athletic and academic identities groups. Results suggested that high athletic identity did not directly inhibit career maturity; however, lack of establishment of multiple identities as a collegiate student-athlete led to low career maturity. This study also discussed identity foreclosure. Future longitudinal studies should examine other identities and the relationship between the developmental processes of identities and careers.