City and Bricolage Identity: A Sociological Study of Male Bodybuilders in Kerman

Subject Areas : Urban Sociological Studies

Azadeh Mousavi ¹ , Kamal Javanmard ^{2 *} , Sepideh Hazrati ³

1 - PhD student in Sociology, Deh.C, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
2 - Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, ShQ. C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. (Corresponding author).
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Zah.C., Islamic Azad University, Zahedan, Iran.

Received: 2025-05-18 Accepted : 2025-09-29 Published : 2025-09-09

Keywords: Identity Formation, Bodybuilding, Consumption Culture, Male Athletes, Social Pressure.,

Abstract :

Objective: The objective of this research is to explain the process of bricolage identity formation among male bodybuilders within the urban context of Kerman, utilizing an exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach. The main research question is: How does bricolage identity form among male bodybuilders in the city of Kerman within the urban life context? The research hypothesis posits that the bricolage identity of bodybuilders, as a socio-cultural construct, is formed through the interaction of economic, social, cultural, and media factors in the urban environment.

Methodology: The research method was an exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach (Qualitative - Quantitative). In the qualitative phase, Grounded Theory (Glaser and Strauss approach) was employed, and initial concepts were extracted by conducting 25 semi-structured interviews with male bodybuilders in Kerman. In the quantitative phase, a measurement tool (researcher-made questionnaire) based on the qualitative data was designed and distributed among 217 male bodybuilders in urban gyms. The data were analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (PCA) and Varimax rotation. Instrument reliability was confirmed with Cronbach’s Alpha (0.83), and content validity was confirmed with CVR (mean 0.78).

Findings: The findings indicated that bricolage identity is formed based on seven factors (economic-urban, professional-urban identity acquisition, cultural-urban, media, gender, technological, and psychological), which explain 72% of the variance in variables related to bricolage identity.

Conclusion: The body bricolage identity of male bodybuilders in Kerman is a reactive-adaptive identity formed at the intersection of urban economic, cultural, media, and technological forces. This identity is constructed through selective agency, conspicuous display, and intelligent resistance to normalizing pressures. The body, in this field, serves simultaneously as an instrument for investment, a language for class-gender representation, and a medium for individual identity formation.

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