Comparative Analysis of Five Major Theories in Kinesiology: Insights

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of five major theories in kinesiology: conflict, critical, interactionist, functionalist, and feminist theories. It begins by defining kinesiology as the scientific study of human and non-human body movements. Each theory is then individually summarized, highlighting its core tenets and applications within the field. The conflict theory emphasizes economic interests, while the critical theory focuses on power dynamics in sports. The interactionist theory examines social interactions, the functionalist theory considers the smooth operation of social systems, and the feminist theory explores gender relations in sports. The essay then proceeds to compare and contrast these theories, particularly focusing on the relationships between critical, interactionist, and feminist perspectives. The comparison highlights how these theories contribute to a broader understanding of kinesiology and the various aspects of sports and human movement. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of these theories in understanding the complexities of kinesiology.

Running head: THEORIES OF KINESIOLOGY
THEORIES OF KINESIOLOGY
Name of the Student
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Author Note

1THEORIES OF KINESIOLOGY
Kinesiology refers to the scientific studies that are related to the human as well as the
non-human body movements (Beasley, 2015). The following essay attempts a discussion on the
five major theories that pertain to kinesiology. The essay discusses the theories and then
proceeds to discuss the theories in comparison with each other.
Summary of theories
The conflict theory of kinesiology states that the economic interests are generally
observed to shape the world. It is often stated that the sports are used to restore the status quo
power structure that exists within the power structure of the society. The critical theory of
kinesiology refers to the use of the source of the power of the authority that are demonstrated by
the groups of sportspersons towards other sports activities. The critical theory tends to create a
belief of the superiority of one group over the other groups. The interactionist theory of
kinesiology generally focusses on the social interactions as well as the relationships that are
existent within the given society. The interactionist theory states that the choices that are adapted
by the practitioners of the theory are generally deliberate (Roth & Knapp, 2017). The
functionalist theory relates to the ways in which the smooth operations of the social systems
take place with the implementation of the sport activities. The feminist theory of kinesiology
generally focusses on the various factors that are related to the gender relations within the
various activities related to the sports (Wendling, Kellison & Sagas, 2018). The feminist theory
further relates to the understanding of the sports activities to be a part of the culture that exists
within the society.
Comparison of theories
The various theories that have been discussed above might relate to the various aspects of
kinesiology. The critical theory of kinesiology might be compared and contrasted to the

2THEORIES OF KINESIOLOGY
interactionist theory of kinesiology on the grounds that relates to the factors that are present
among the societal conditions and the classes that are existent within the concerned sport activity
(Roth & Knapp, 2017). The theories argue on the factors that pertain to the health as well as the
well-being of the various people who have been involved in sports and other related activities.
The feminist theory on the other hand however might at times depicts the use of the terms that
tend to confuse the theorists thereby leading to the creation of the difficulties in the matters that
pertain to the merger of the various critical theories and ideas in the matters that are related to
kinesiology (Adams et al., 2016). The feminist theorists on the other hand refer to the fact that
the female members who have been participating in the sports are granted to be under-privileged
in the field of sports. The female members who have been involved in the various sports are
known to have been dominated by the male members in the same field as opposed to the
functionalist and the interactionist theories of kinesiology.
Thus, from the above discussion it might be pointed out that the concerned theories might
further relate to the broader concept of the kinesiology and help in the better understanding of the
same. The theories further help in the maters that pertain to the understanding of the various
aspects of kinesiology.

3THEORIES OF KINESIOLOGY
References
Adams, M. L., Helstein, M. T., Kim, K. Y., McDonald, M. G., Davidson, J., Jamieson, K. M.,
King, S. & Rail, G. (2016). Feminist cultural studies: Uncertainties and
possibilities. Sociology of sport journal, 33(1), 75-91.
Beasley, J. (2015). Understanding kinesiology. Journal of the Australian Traditional-Medicine
Society, 21(1), 44.
Roth, R. I., & Knapp, B. A. (2017). Gender Negotiations of Female Collegiate Athletes in the
Strength and Conditioning Environment. Women in Sport and Physical Activity
Journal, 25(1), 50-59.
Wendling, E., Kellison, T. B., & Sagas, M. (2018). A Conceptual Examination of College
Athletes’ Role Conflict Through the Lens of Conservation of Resources
Theory. Quest, 70(1), 28-47.