Abstract (eng)
In this work, I investigate the motivs of people who are dedicated to extreme kayaking. In
the following, special attention will be given to differences as well as similarities of
interviewees regarding their socialization, identity and understanding of risk and dealing
with death. The study is divided into a theoretical and an empirical part.
First, the theoretical basics are developed, which allow categorization of the motivs in
kayak sports as mass and risk sport. Based on this fundamental structure, the questions for
the interviews are formulated.
As a research method, guided interviews with experts are used to investigate the motivs.
The questions, which are divided into main and sub-categories, are based in part on the
theoretical embedding. All participants are very experienced kayakers and therefore count
as experts in their field.
The evaluation of the results unveiled the three main motivs: risk, performance, and
curiosity.