Adaptation Styles of Contemporary Competitorsin the Context of the Anomy TheoryRobert Merton

The work concerns the presence of two styles of adaptation in competitive sport as understood by Robert Merton, i.e. innovative and conformist. The research involved footballers of the fi rst squad of Korona Kielce (n = 12),footballers of the second squad of Korona Kielce (n = 21), students of the Jagiellonian University participating ina football tournament (n = 25) and seminarians from the John Paul II University in Krakw (n = 25). The Athlete Adaptation Styles Questionnaire allowed to obtain data on the preferred styles of adaptation in individuals from theabove-mentioned groups. The obtained results prove that in competitive sports, players more often implement aninnovative style of adaptation.