Parkour/Freerunning As a Pathway to Prosocial Change
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CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by ResearchArchive at Victoria University of Wellington Parkour/Freerunning as a Pathway to Prosocial Change: A Theoretical Analysis By Johanna Herrmann Supervised by Prof Tony Ward A thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Forensic Psychology Victoria University of Wellington 2016 ii iii Acknowledgements Special thanks to my supervisor Prof Tony Ward for his constant support and constructive feedback throughout the pleasures and struggles of this project. His readiness to offer an alternative perspective has provided me with many opportunities to grow as a critical thinker, researcher, and as a person. I am grateful to Prof Devon Polaschek, Dr Clare-Ann Fortune, and all members of their lab for encouraging me to pursue an innovative research project, as well as for providing inspiration, insights and connections to other specialist research areas in offender rehabilitation. The German Academic Exchange Service deserves special mention for the financial support that allowed me to take up my dream course of study in the country that is farthest away from my home. Finally, I would like to thank Damien Puddle and Martini Miller for lively discussions, valuable feedback, and sharing the passion regarding research, parkour/freerunning, as well as youth development. iv v Abstract Parkour/freerunning is a training method for overcoming physical and mental obstacles, and has been proposed as a unique tool to engage youth in healthy leisure activities (e.g., Gilchrist & Wheaton, 2011). Although practitioners have started to utilise parkour/freerunning in programmes for youth at risk of antisocial behaviour, this claim is insufficiently grounded in theory and research to date. In fact, the common misrepresentation of the practice in the media has led to confusion and debate about the nature of parkour/freerunning. In a conceptual and historical analysis, I explore what parkour/freerunning is, and how it can impact on the practitioner. Results from the analysis reveal values, goals and assumptions that parkour/freerunning is built upon, as well as a set of physical, mental, socio-moral and cognitive-behavioural skills developed through the practice. As illustrated by its history, parkour/freerunning has emerged as a highly versatile tool for self-development and change. These insights are used to discuss how parkour/freerunning relates to contemporary frameworks of offender rehabilitation. A comparative analysis demonstrates that parkour/freerunning is largely capable of meeting the standards of rehabilitation practice guided by the Risk-Need-Responsivity model. Moreover, key goals, assumptions and general approach in parkour/freerunning are naturally in line with those in the Good Lives Model of offender rehabilitation. The major overlaps of parkour/freerunning with both frameworks suggest that the practice can increase the individual’s capacity to live a healthy and prosocial life, and reduce the risk of reoffending. Particularly when applied within the GLM, parkour/freerunning offers a pathway to identity formation and transformation. Although this claim is in need of further exploration, I propose that parkour/freerunning can be utilised to enhance the practice of offender rehabilitation as an engaging and easily accessible tool for prosocial change. vi Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... iii Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ........................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures ......................................................................................................................... viii 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 2 Toward an Understanding of Parkour/Freerunning: A Historical Overview ................ 5 2.1 The Origins of Parkour/Freerunning: Historical and Personal Roots .......................... 7 2.2 The Beginnings of ‘Le parcours’ ................................................................................. 8 2.3 ‘L’art du déplacement’, ‘Parkour’, and ‘Freerunning’ .............................................. 11 2.4 Global Dissemination and Current Trends ................................................................ 14 2.5 Academic Literature .................................................................................................. 18 3 What Is Parkour/Freerunning? – A Conceptual Analysis of the Practice .................... 21 3.1 Analytical Tools ............................................................................................................. 21 3.2 Parkour/Freerunning as an Evolving Practice: Analysing Historical Developments..... 26 3.2.1 Establishing Values and Assumptions in the Early Beginnings ............................. 27 3.2.2 Evolution of Key Values ......................................................................................... 31 3.2.3 Skills Development in Parkour/Freerunning ........................................................... 37 3.2.4 What Is Parkour/Freerunning, and How Does It Impact on the Practitioner? ........ 39 4 Contemporary Frameworks of Offender Rehabilitation................................................. 42 4.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................ 42 4.2 The Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) Model .................................................................. 43 4.3 The Good Lives Model (GLM) ...................................................................................... 47 vii 5 Offender Rehabilitation and Parkour/Freerunning: A Comparative Analysis ............ 52 5.1 How Does Parkour/Freerunning Relate to the RNR Model? ......................................... 52 5.1.1 Assumptions, Aims, and Values ............................................................................. 52 5.1.2 Etiological Assumptions ......................................................................................... 54 5.1.3 Practice Implications ............................................................................................... 55 5.2 How Does Parkour/Freerunning Relate to the GLM? .................................................... 60 5.2.1 Assumptions, Aims, and Values ............................................................................. 60 5.2.2 Etiological Assumptions ......................................................................................... 62 5.2.3 Practice Implications ............................................................................................... 63 5.3 Which Framework Is Parkour/Freerunning Best Situated Within? ............................... 65 6 Future Directions and Conclusion ..................................................................................... 69 6.1 How Can Parkour/Freerunning Support Prosocial Change? .......................................... 69 6.2 Boundary Conditions and Challenges ............................................................................ 70 6.3 Future Directions in Research and Application ............................................................. 71 References ............................................................................................................................... 74 Appendix ................................................................................................................................ 90 A Academic Literature on Parkour/Freerunning .................................................................. 90 A1.1 Literature Search ..................................................................................................... 90 A1.2 Thematic Overview ................................................................................................. 91 A1.3 Methodological Overview ....................................................................................... 92 B Summary of the Comparative Analysis .......................................................................... 108 viii List of Tables Table 1 Accumulation of Values and Underlying Assumptions in the Origins and Early Establishing Phase of Parkour/Freerunning .......................................................... 29 Table 2 List of Skills Promoted in Parkour/Freerunning .................................................... 38 Table 3 Matrix of Major Components Constituting Parkour/Freerunning ......................... 39 Table 4 List of the “Central Eight” Risk Factors ................................................................ 45 Table 5 List of Primary Human Goods and Possible Means to Their Achievement ............ 49 Table 6 Central Criminogenic Needs and Their Coverage in Parkour/Freerunning .......... 57 Table 7 List of Primary Human Goods and Their Reflection in Parkour/Freerunning ...... 61 Table 8 Major Components of Parkour/Freerunning, and Their Alignment with RNR Model and GLM