Career development and transition topic in sport psychology has had an about fifty-year evolution with an essential increase in research and applications during the past two decades (e.g., Wylleman, Alfermann, & Lavallee, 2004). Current status of the topic is characterized by: (a) sport-specific definitions of key concepts, such as athletic career, career transition, crisis-transition, and career assistance (e.g., Alfermann & Stambulova, 2007), (b) classifications of athletes' transitions (athletic and non-athletic; normative and non-normative), related theoretical frameworks (descriptive and explanatory) and interventions (preventive/educational and crisis/negative consequences coping), (c) holistic lifespan perspective (Wylleman & Lavallee, 2004) and a solid body of knowledge about athletes' transitions and the factors involved (especially, about athletic retirement and transition to senior/elite sports); (d) professional practice experiences accumulated in career assistance programs (e.g., Gordon, Lavallee, & Grove, 2005), and (e) principles, values, typical working issues, intervention strategies and tools integrated into the professional culture of career assistance (Stambulova, 2010). Career development and transition research is currently spread around the world, and the researchers normally internalize their research foci from relevant socio-cultural contexts (Stambulova, Alfermann, Statler, & Côté, 2009). Culturally informed career assistance programs in various countries provide services helping athletes to reach both athletic and personal excellence, and make their athletic career a resource for the life career (e.g., Wylleman, Theeboom, & Lavallee, 2004).
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