PERMA-based Perspectives on Sports Designing New Ways to Support Well-being in Finnish Junior Ice Hockey Players

Abstract

Ice hockey is a very popular hobby among Finnish boys. However, there are concerns over these young athletes’ well-being. In this article, we discuss the offerings of positive psychology to sports. How to use positive and strength-based approaches to enhance well-being and joy of playing among junior ice hockey players? We introduce our ideas based on the development work in collaboration with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and our earlier research on the theme. Martin Seligman’s PERMA theory serves as the theoretical basis of our research. According to the theory, well-being is construct of five elements: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment, that we operationalize into practices to be used in junior ice hockey. The theoretical review shows that operationalizing the PERMA theory offers a fruitful way of combining the scientific and theoretical expertise with the knowledge about ice hockey (or any sports) in practice. Our goal is to achieve significant results and success stories that do not only tell about success in sports such as ice hockey, but as positive development as players and persons in general.