Morrow 1

Edward Morrow
Professor Kelly Bladl
UWRT 1102-10
12 October 2016
Annotated Bibliography
Peer Reviewed

Isaksen, Joachim. The Psychology of Extreme Sports: Addicts, not Loonies, Popular Social
Science. November 5th, 2012. Web. 9 Oct. 2016.
The above article is a look into the psychology behind those who pursue extreme sports.
It starts by diving into the perception of risk of those who undertake extreme events. In doing so
it states how the perceptions of risk factor in to the overall experience using firsthand accounts.
Continuing, the article covers what a persons reaction to fear is, and how thrill seekers learn to
overcome that reaction . The article also gives a brief description of the effect of adrenaline on
the body, and how it can cause an addiction. In closing, the article touches back on why some
who participate in extreme sports continue to pursue them and how some cases can be likened to
an addiction.
The article was written by Joachim Vogt Isaksen, who holds an M.A. in Sociology and is
the coeditor of Popular Social Science. Isaksen is also an assistant professor at the Norwegian
University of Science and Technology. All articles on Popular Social Science are reviewed by a
board of peers, who are professors in various fields. The article is intended to provide a
sociological look at the pursuit of extreme sports. It is geared toward those who study sociology
and does not appear to be speaking to a broad audience due to some specific terms. There also
appears to be no bias towards the subject as the author provides no personal connection to the
topic.

I think that this article provides a little bit of the insight I was looking for when initially
starting my research. Right off the bat it answers some of the questions I had about the topic of
the pursuit of adrenaline. However, this source might not be completely relevant given that it was
written four years ago. While some of the research I have done tends to favor the information in
this article, trends can change and a more current source can show whether the ideas presented in
this article are still considered the norm.
Side 1 of the topic
Brody, Jane E. "With the Thrills Come Extreme Risks." The New York Times. The New York
Times, 31 Mar. 2014. Web. 9 Oct. 2016.
This article covers the growing trend of extreme sports, and how this trend is leading to
more injuries. It begins with mentioning the death of Caleb Moore in the 2013 X games and
continues on to state statistics of those injured in extreme sporting events. The article quotes the
research of Dr. Vani J. Sabesan to support these statistics. The article continues into how such
accidents can be prevented and gives personal anecdotes of injuries prevented by wearing the
proper equipment. The article also wraps up by instructing parents to make sure their children
practice safely with the correct equipment.
The article from the New York Times was written by Jane Brody and is found in the
personal health section. The article may have been edited and reviewed before being published
but not in a scholarly fashion. The article seems to be aimed at an older audience as at times it
can be judgmental of a younger generation. Also the section at the end is specifically geared
towards parents. While there is bias towards the topic of extreme sports, it does provide some
advice to stay safe and does not flat out say that extreme sports should be avoided.

I find that this article can be used at a counter argument to those looking to pursue
extreme sports. Being that its geared toward a larger audience I feel that it may be more relevant
to include its perspective in the paper. The article not only links the hazard of extreme sports to
the pursuit of adrenaline but to the growing influence of the athletes who do them as well. And
this could possibly lead to an interesting point that not everyone pursues adrenaline solely for the
adrenaline rush. This article would primarily be used to strengthen the counter argument.

Side 2 of the topic

Swink, David F. "Adrenaline Rushes: Can They Help Us Deal with a Real Crisis?" Psychology
Today. Sussex Publishers, 31 Jan. 2010. Web. 9 Oct. 2016.
This article gives an insight to how adrenaline rushes can be used to benefit everyday life.
The beginning gives a detailed account of a simulation of a hostage situation. It uses this
example to relay how officers are trained to handle high stress situations by having them practice
similar encounters. The author then goes on to suggest that while the average person does not
experience such events on a day to day basis that similar methods may be able to help people
respond to daily emergencies. The author then goes on to use research performed by several
studies to further show how being placed in adrenaline inducing scenarios can be a benefit. The
author also uses his own personal experiences to further highlight his point. The author then
closes out with tips for safe adrenaline rushes and then tips on how to get the most out of these
situations.
This article was written by David F. Swink for Psychology Today. David Swink is a
threat manager and the Chief Creative Officer for Strategic Interactions, a company that uses
behavioral simulations to improve work environments. The information he uses in this article

seems on the whole to be reliable as there are links to the research he brought up. However, as
this article is six years old the information may be a bit dated. To me this article comes off as
trying to influence the audience to branch out and try new experiences to help cope with day to
day life. That audience seems to be for those seeking help as this was posted on a site where
people can seek out therapist. Also, the author may be biased towards the subject as he himself
participates in what would be considered adrenaline junkie activities.
While this article is from a few years ago, I still think I can find use of it for my paper.
This because it one of the few articles I have read that point out a benefit of adrenaline rushes.
While no exact numbers were given within the article, I might be able to pin down exact data for
further research given the names of those heading up such topics. This could also lead me in a
different direction for my paper where I start to focus less on extreme sports and see if what
types of jobs can produce adrenaline as well.
Popular Source
Heydari, Farhad. "Alpha-Male Adventures." nbcnews.com. NBC News, 3 Jan. 2007. Web. 8 Oct.
2016.
This is a travel article created to highlight some of the extreme travel destinations of
those pursuing high adrenaline activities. The article briefly covers what can be done in exotic
locales through companies like Incredible Adventures. The article covers how some people can
travel to ride in fighter jets or go take a tank for out for a spin. The article also covers that these
activities are extreme and costly and goes on to mention a few more destinations that include
dogsledding in harsh climates.
This article does not offer much in the way of research data but does provide an
interesting look at the extremes people will go to achieve an exciting experience. Also as this is a

travel article it seems to be simply made to entertain, and detail the exploits of those who are
wealthy. While not necessarily based in facts and more opinion based the companies mentioned
are real can researched on themselves. I am not sure if the author has any bias towards the
subject as the article was not written in the first person. Furthermore, the author provided no
personal insight or experience dealing with things described within in the article. Rather the
article used a testimonial from one client and quotes from those running the companies. This in a
sense could be considered a bias since there was no counter argument or claims made.
Personally I think the article itself may not provide much use in my paper. However, I
might look into some of these companies such as Incredible Adventures and see what sort of
information I can find out about them. Such as how long have they been relevant and what sort
of positive and or negative feedback they have received. Other than that the article did not
provide much in the way of data I could use or quote in the paper.