Some Keys to Understanding the Social Discourses on Pathologization and Well-being in Public Policies on Sport: A Case Study in Chile

In 2016, Chile enacted a National Policy for Physical Activity and Sports to be implemented between 2016 and 2025. This policy understands the concept of sports as any physical activity that utilizes human movement as a means for the integral development of people. Within the public policy of sports in Chile, the area of high-performance sports is at a disadvantage compared to other areas such as education, competition, and recreation. This is due to the extractivist logic of prioritizing results over athlete welfare. Two factors contribute to this issue: the ambiguity of the state policy in terms of resources and discourse and the facilitation of instances of vulnerability for athletes that result in their pathologization. This conditioning of the state’s subsidies and incentives to the sports results leads to athletes being treated as mere tools for obtaining a victory. Considering these factors, a qualitative literature review analysis was conducted to carry out a case study of Chilean high-performance athletes throughout the country. It is necessary to consider the latent discussion between clinical psychology and sports psychology, as in some cases, a psychopathological state of the patient could be diagnosed from clinical psychology. In contrast, from a sporting perspective, these “symptoms” are considered primary conditions for maintaining high performance. This dichotomy is theoretically and practically evident, so it is believed that analyzing the pathologization and depathologization of this clash between the two branches of psychology is essential. Therefore, this chapter addresses the tension between clinical psychology and sports psychology, considering a system centered on achievement and results, as understood by current public policy, versus a depathologizing approach, focused on collective and individual sports performance, relegating the sport´s result to a secondary position. One of the demands of a high-performance athlete is to maintain physical and mental strength to adapt to all the requirements that practicing at this level implies. The exclusive dedication required for this leads to high wear and tear in terms of training, competition, physical preparation, and the costs associated with the attention of various health professionals (nutritionist, sports physician, sports psychologist, kinesiologist), and without the support of state resources, this financial responsibility falls on the athletes and their families. This constitutes a violation of their rights and a source of psychological strain and general well-being whose chronification could generate psychopathological disorders at the individual and family levels that are invisible to public policy and the need to obtain results that highlight the country in international competitions. This study is an approach to Chile’s public policy of high-performance sports. Although there is other research in this line, our proposal is a pioneering element since it considers different overlooked facets, such as well-being, mental health, and the pathologization of elite athletes.