Outline of a typology of men’s use of anabolic androgenic steroids in fitness and strength training environments

TY - JOUR

T1 - Outline of a typology of men’s use of anabolic androgenic steroids in fitness and strength training environments

AU - Christiansen, Ask Vest

AU - Vinther, Anders Schmidt

AU - Liokaftos, Dimitrios

PY - 2017/5/4

Y1 - 2017/5/4

N2 - Recent research into the use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) in fitness and strength training environments have revealed great variance in users’ approach to AAS use and more specifically their approach to health risks and desired objectives. However, there have only been few attempts to develop theoretical frameworks directed at conceptualising the variance in AAS use. In this paper, we propose a unified framework in the form of a typology, which concerns men’s general approach to AAS use. The typology is based on sociologist Max Weber’s method on the ideal typology. The work comes out of the authors’ own qualitative empirical research on male AAS users in fitness and strength training environments, but is also related to and draws on the international literature on the subject. The suggested typology consists of four ideal types: the Expert type, the Well-being type, the YOLO type and the Athlete type. The four types are developed around two overarching categories, namely users’ approach to risk and effectiveness. The typology outlines distinct and characteristic approaches to AAS use and can, thus, be employed by researchers as well as health professionals as a heuristic tool for investigation and explanation.

AB - Recent research into the use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) in fitness and strength training environments have revealed great variance in users’ approach to AAS use and more specifically their approach to health risks and desired objectives. However, there have only been few attempts to develop theoretical frameworks directed at conceptualising the variance in AAS use. In this paper, we propose a unified framework in the form of a typology, which concerns men’s general approach to AAS use. The typology is based on sociologist Max Weber’s method on the ideal typology. The work comes out of the authors’ own qualitative empirical research on male AAS users in fitness and strength training environments, but is also related to and draws on the international literature on the subject. The suggested typology consists of four ideal types: the Expert type, the Well-being type, the YOLO type and the Athlete type. The four types are developed around two overarching categories, namely users’ approach to risk and effectiveness. The typology outlines distinct and characteristic approaches to AAS use and can, thus, be employed by researchers as well as health professionals as a heuristic tool for investigation and explanation.

KW - ABUSERS

KW - Anabolic androgenic steroids

KW - CONSEQUENCES

KW - CRIME

KW - DEPENDENCE

KW - DRUGS

KW - INSIGHT

KW - Max Weber

KW - NONUSERS

KW - doping

KW - drug education and prevention

KW - fitness and strength training

KW - ideal typology

KW - performance-enhancing drugs

KW - theory development

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84994592347&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/09687637.2016.1231173

DO - 10.1080/09687637.2016.1231173

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0968-7637

VL - 24

SP - 295

EP - 305

JO - Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy

JF - Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy

IS - 3

ER -