Adoption
of the ASEP Paradigm: When and What is Needed?
Tommy Boone,
PhD, MPH, MA, FASEP, EPC
Professor
and Chair
Department
of Exercise Physiology
The College
of St. Scholastica
BY
NOW IT SHOULD be obvious that members of ASEP embrace a shared set of assumptions.
Their perception of exercise physiology fits within the notion that exercise
physiologists not only should, but have a responsibility to, support their
own professional organization. The members understand that ASEP is
the professional organization of exercise physiologists. It defines
the profession and helps to protect its members by creating professional
credentials based on academic accreditation. When this point of view
is understood, it is hard to imagine any other view.
What is
the Problem?
Paradigms
do not change very easily. Not all exercise physiologists are members
of ASEP. They share the ideas, beliefs, and assumptions of a different
paradigm. Their pattern of thinking is guided by observations and
perceptions embraced over several decades that supports research more so
than professionalization. Since it is possible to do one (research)
without considering the other (which is generally not true when reversed),
the latter (professionalization) didn’t develop. The concepts of
professionalism and accreditation are not common topics within the research
dimension of maximum oxygen consumption. So, no one realized the
void that has existed in the world of exercise physiology. That void
has always been “the professional organization of (and by) exercise physiologists”.
What do
we Know?
Without ASEP
for the past 50+ years, exercise physiologists have become excellent researchers
but little else. The lack of any serious, complete discussion of
the ideals and visions of exercise physiologists’ status has been problematic
throughout the history of exercise physiology. Members of ASEP have
sought to transform exercise physiology from a technician-oriented image
to a revolutionary identity with other established professions. Since
1997, ASEP has contributed to the view of exercise physiology as a profession
with its members defined by the acquisition of exclusive knowledge.
The status of a profession is the means to financial stability and respected
employment in the public sector.
The view of
exercise physiology as a profession is anticipated, if not, desired well
in advance of reality. But, then again, reality is formed from dreams
and hard work. Even as an emerging profession, the current view is
better than what it was without ASEP. Regardless of how one defines
exercise physiology, even as a semi-profession, it is important to acknowledge
that exercise physiologists now have their own professional organization.
ASEP is working hard to create, sustain, and define a privilege position
for its members. It is the professional body of exercise physiology,
working to reform educational function, and to regulate the quality of
the graduates.
The Establishment
Naturally,
none of this is an easy process. New ideas are cumbersome and complicated
for the Establishment. Change takes time, which raises the question,
how much time does it take? There isn’t any way we can know for sure,
but the future is on the side of ASEP. Perhaps, Adam Smith (1) has
provided the answer to the question:
“The
Establishment is always invested in the old paradigm. So, the new
paradigm does not get adopted just because it is neater and works better
than the old one. The old crowd wins the first few battles, and in
fact the paradigm doesn’t change until the old crowd dies and the new young
crowd grows up and rewrites the textbooks and becomes the Establishment
itself.”
This is one of
the hardest things for ASEP members to grasp. Intuitively, they understand
well enough that “…the new young crowd grows up and rewrites the textbooks….”
What is hard to get a handle on is the question, “When will the old crowd
move aside”? Nothing is sweeter than so many young men and women
today who believe in ASEP even with the old crowd still around, and that
the ASEP revolution is running its course as expected. But, there
is an element of this belief that is potentially problematic. It
is not that many academic exercise physiologists don’t understand the purpose
behind ASEP but that so many appear completely indifferent to it.
The Indifference
This brings
me to the point that the “indifference” is actually nature itself taking
its own sweet time. So many of us are afraid that the new paradigm,
ASEP and the movement to professionhood, is too slow. There are always
feelings in times of change that we may move too quickly or not quickly
enough. There are feelings among some of my students that ASEP may
move so fast that there will not be the respect for its certification process.
Yet, it is precisely the opposite with others. This is a time when
it is not easy to please everyone, thus forcing us to learn anew the old
lessons. The Establishment was founded some 50 years ago and, as
best as I can determined, was not defined by whether it was growing fast
enough or even in the right direction. We must also be reminded again
that the Establishment took nearly 25 years before creating organizational
certifications. This response pattern ought to lift the spirits of
ASEP members with the completion of many professionalism objectives (including,
but not limited to, a code of ethics, certification, accreditation, standards
of professional practice, and electronic journals); all in less than 5
years.
The New
Paradigm
Our belief
in ASEP and the strength of its membership tells us that the new paradigm
is alive and moving in the right direction. It seems to me that this
is a reason to be happy with where we are, as a professional organization.
The evolving profession is moving along just fine. If anything, a
little positive, intellectual humility among the academic exercise physiologists
of the major institutions could help with the paradigm shift. Too
many still operate from the assumption that the field revolves around them.
They do research (and some teach), but they do not see their role in the
professionalization of exercise physiology. They do not see themselves
as persons in the process of growth within the emerging profession.
Students therefore are left to fight their own battles at graduation.
I’ve learned
that, for the most part, only deeply secure professors with a strong, positive
commitment to their students dare to admit that they need to help the field
grow and change. Only the teacher with a healthy self-esteem dares
to admit, “I’ve been wrong in earlier views about the new organization,
ASEP. I need to help facilitate changes within my academic setting.”
By contrast, the academics who are less secure do not dare get involved
with ASEP since it would threaten their own well-established positions.
This may explain why it is difficult to admit, “I was wrong.” “I
still have much to learn.” “I have areas in my professional life
where I must grow.”
Only the humble
dare to ask questions and request to get involved with ASEP. Arrogance,
on the other hand, has little time to check out the possibilities; it only
has time for statements: “It’s dumb.” Or, “No one with brains
would listen to anything they are saying.” Shall anyone be satisfied
with the competition of the Establishment over the ASEP? The Establishment
ought not to compete with ASEP members for the professional development
of exercise physiology. Our condition in the public sector should
be corrected by the professional efforts of members who are exclusively
interested in the emerging profession, not by generalists.
The Hope
of ASEP
In fact, if
we were to agree on the need for critical change in our thinking about
exercise physiology, then we must ask the question: “What is our deepest
concern?” What is the exercise physiologist’s highest personal hope,
most pressing professional passion, and crucial work related concern?
If ASEP Directors could stand before you and before all exercise physiologists
in the United States, they would say that our highest hope is to be recognized
as professionals. And that our personal hope would be acceptance
and respect as academically prepared exercise physiologists; that our most
pressing passion is the realization of professional credentials recognized
throughout the public sector; and that our work related concern is directly
linked to our low salaries.
Having said
this, surely we are doing everything to realize these objectives.
And so it seems reasonable to ask: "How can we wait until the Establishment
dies?” This also brings us to the question, “Is it not possible to
integrate the old crowd and the new crowd with a new self-image of all
exercise physiologists?” Surely these are major questions before
us. They also register the challenge to not just survive during the
transition, but to arrive with self-dignity and a healthy self-esteem.
This is another way of saying that all exercise physiologists are offered
the possibility of honorable service to further inspire the dream of an
organization with self-affirming beliefs and positive emotions. Building
a solid self-esteem among all exercise physiologists is an important step
towards professional development.
ASEP holds
the promise for reconciliation and, clearly, it is the preferred alternative
to waiting for the old crowd to die. The problem is in knowing what
to say or do to meet the concerns of those who cannot bring themselves
to cooperate or communicate with ASEP. Not knowing what to say is
not the same as withdrawing from a conversation with someone with a different
belief. Not knowing is not taking the Establishment for granted,
but rather an honest unknowing to construct a meaningful dialogue.
Of course, anyone who has read the PEPonline
articles should know that ASEP tried several times to communicate with
the Establishment. The Board of Directors sent several authentic
documents asking kindly for recognition of the new crowd. Surely,
in a world where so many organizations prevail, there is no excuse for
the Establishment refusing to recognize ASEP, its vision, and its members.
The New
Message
Because the
Establishment, like many organizations, is built around motivations, some
times misplaced, egos clumsily violate the self-dignity of the members.
The violation is done to insure their perceived power. The problem
is that no organization can really feel good about itself without helping
other organizations build their self-worth. Self-respect and self-esteem
penetrates the core of all organizations. This is also why it is
important not to wait until the old crowd dies before coming together with
acceptance and affirmation of all exercise physiologists. When viewed
this way, the biggest job before ASEP is to get all exercise physiologists
to believe that they are somebody and that they really can make a difference.
This is the message that we must come to terms with and re-affirm constantly.
The price of
any dream is hard work and humility. There is no great organization
without both, including exposure to the possibility of ridicule.
No one pursues a dream without somebody saying either it can’t be done
or who do you think you are? Success is directly related to how hard
we are willing to work to pay the price. In the end, the success
of ASEP is reflected in the self-esteem and integrity of its members.
That is success. The key to understanding and defining ASEP is in
the trusting of others even if we cannot be sure of what they are thinking.
Trust produces members who are healthy in their thinking and who understand
that they are doing what comes natural. They believe it is possible
to make a difference in the lives of others through exercise. And,
they are willing to pay the price, to climb the wall, to do what it takes
to help others realize their self-worth. Unfortunately, they have
not had a professional organization on their side.
My friend John
Williams of Mississippi expressed it like this: “You know what hell
is like for me?” This is what hell is: “When I stand before
‘anyone’ explaining what I am and no one understands even when I explain
it to them course-by-course and lab-by-lab, I’m left with very uncomfortable
feelings. There isn’t anything I can do about it. I walk away
not feeling good about myself.” This makes studying exercise physiology
(or should I say, exercise science, kinesiology, human performance) a compromised
beginning. Students ought to know this, but they don’t (and the faculty
of kinesiology programs isn’t sharing the truth with them), and, so the
students are standing on their feet with no guarantee of success.
Their belief is hit hard with the saddest words before them, “You have
no credentials and, more so, you don’t have an academic degree in exercise
physiology.” This makes for a very bad day, especially after 345
days of trying to locate a job with something better than $12 to $15 an
hour with no promise of full-time work.
The Double
Price Tag
What is interesting
is that deep down in the hearts of the Establishment, they understand what
is going on. They know about the students’ problems at graduation.
They understand the students were sold a dream without a professional foundation
even though the students dare to study while imaging possibilities.
They love the field, and they are dedicated, but to what end result?
All they know is what is in their hearts, yet the lack of a job after graduation
leads to a lack of self-confidence and a low self-esteem. This is
the double price tag; first for the education and, second, for the cross
students have to bear with the likelihood of depression or other negative
emotions with failure in locating a good job.
The Importance
of Self-Esteem
Work is important.
Without it, a person’s self-worth is often a problem. This is, make
no mistake, the reason ASEP was founded. Now we have the opportunity
to become creative professionals; the opportunity to dream daring dreams.
The reward is the gift of feeling good driven by a high self-esteem, which
raises an important question: “How is self-esteem a variable in the
paradigm shift?” Part of the answer is in understanding that students
are often frustrated rather than nurtured by their education. Another
part is in knowing there can be no self-esteem without eliminating resentment.
ASEP’s role is to help students and exercise physiologists develop a positive
self-image. Then and only then are we aware of the paradigm shift
and its unlimited enthusiasm in achieving something wonderful.
When will the
paradigm be adopted? I submit that self-esteem is the all-important
bridge that will bring together exercise physiologists. So I contend
and plead for a full coming together of the old crowd and the new crowd
for a new beginning based on a solid foundation of respect and dignity
of all exercise physiologists. It is my hope that we might explore
in depth and at length the professional development of exercise physiology
to insure a more relaxed and liberated future for our students. Hence,
it should be obvious by now that the ultimate dream (and expectation) in
the professionalism ASEP has set in motion is that the new exercise physiology
will see a coming together of the old crowd and the new crowd to work side
by side as strong allies. The imaginary, and sometimes real, conflicts
between the two should give way to creative cooperation, for no responsible,
reputable emerging profession disagrees with the need for exercise physiologists
to experience self-esteem. And if the old exercise physiologists
are willing to start from the point of the deepest concerns and needs of
the new exercise physiologists, then both crowds have discovered the bridge
that spans the connection. The old crowd and the new crowd need each
other.
Copyright
©1997-2007
American Society of Exercise Physiologists All Rights
Reserved.