A new approach to doping prevention for young elite athletes
Anne-Marie Elbe
Leipzig University
Doping is a problem in elite sports and there has been an increased interest in anti-doping and prevention programs over the past years. However, current doping prevention programs that primarily involve pedagogical education in youth have not shown to be very effective. This presentation therefore focuses on a novel sport psychological approach to doping prevention which addresses moral aspects of doping and targets the individual decision-making process. The presentation will discuss if ethical training programs adapted to the field of sports and aimed at teaching ethical competencies can prevent doping and avoid deviant behavior in sports. During an ethical decision-making training, athletes are confronted with dilemma situations in which they need to evaluate and rank arguments for and against the decision to dope. Through this reflective process the athletes are supposed to learn how to cognitively resolve the doping situation, enabling them to make reflected decisions in the future. Practical implications as well as future research directions will be discussed.