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Competition theory in psychology

Competition is defined as a social setting in which individuals believe their objectives are incompatible with others, therefore the psychological theory of competition explains human behaviour and decision-making in various competitive scenarios. This significant theory shows that competition initiates specific psychological principles that influence performance dynamics, motivation, social interactions and emotional responses. Competition is manifested in different settings and can be seen in social, educational, professional and sports settings, which explains how this affects everyone differently.

Throughout this page, the fundamental principles are explained, in different competitive contexts by showing how this theory is adapted to real-life scenarios. It also covers the social factors that are influenced by competition and explains why this affects individuals in positive and negative ways.

History

Usain Bolt sprinting 100m and breaking a world record time

A series of experiments were done in 1898 by Norman Triplett which were a landmark in social and sports psychology. These experiments displayed that the existence of other individuals can affect a person's performance which in turn shows that competition will motivate those to increase their effort. One experiment involved 40 children playing a game which involved turning a fishing reel as fast as possible. Results showed that the children who played the game in pairs turned the reel significantly faster than the ones turning their reel by themselves. Triplett quotes that it demonstrated, “The dynamogenic factors in pacemaking and competition”, this then initiated the investigation into social facilitation . Social facilitation is simply described as the effects on performance in the presence of other people, which was the starting point of the psychological theory of competition. The development of this original theory from Normal Triplett then inspired and contributed to the social comparison theory by Leon Festinger in 1954. This theory of social comparison demonstrates the psychological processes that go on behind the scenes in individuals which reasons to why they scrutinise their own opinions, skills and accomplishments because they are comparing them directly to others. This was another starting point for the theory of competition as it explained the comparative effects of competition and how people naturally compare themselves during competition, like race times in track and field events.

The history of the theory of competition is varied across cultures because the populations people live in are fundamentally the most important environmental conditions that influence your personality. This inevitably affects the competitive traits individuals possess. Individualistic and collectivist cultures vary in their different beliefs and values. Individualist cultures normally have a great belief that competition is important compared to those from collectivist cultures that believe in social peace between groups and place collective needs over individual desires.

Fundamental Principles

The fundamental principles and mechanisms of the theory of competition are motivation, social comparison theory and performance pressure.

Motivation can be put into two categories intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation is described by the drive of external stimuli or situations and the competition for a reward or title. Whereas intrinsic motivation is pushed by internal factors where the activity itself would be the outcome. Not everyone is motivated by competition, however, it is concluded for those that are it is for three reasons: competition offers the chance to win, competition allows a reason for improving performance, and competition encourages them to put greater effort into higher levels of performance. These three reasons show a balance between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations showing that it is not only to receive external rewards, acknowledgement or position, but also to have clear goals with a sense of challenge. This balance between them can determine a positive or negative outcome for these competitions. The social comparison theory that was discovered by Leon Festinger is another mechanism in describing the theory of competition because it is natural to compare oneself to others during a competition. 

Social comparison can be described in two categories, upward comparison and downward comparison. Upward comparison is described as when we compare ourselves to those that we deem to be on a higher level than us which can inspire improvement however it can also lead to much discouragement if those goals are not achievable. Downwards comparison is when we compare ourselves to others who are on a lower level than us which boosts our self-esteem, however, this overconfidence can also be detrimental to improvement. Extremes of either of these categories of social comparison are not healthy as their effects can cause psychological issues that appear when comparing oneself with others. However, a balance of both during competition will be a natural and healthy way to encourage oneself to achieve different goals, in any competitive context.

Performance pressure has positive and negative effects on an individual in a competition. Performance pressure in a competition for example a penalty kick in football is a highly stressful psychological situation. This pressure causes the athletes to enforce greater significance to perform well, which can be beneficial or even in a sports psychology context cause choking. Choking is a term used in sports psychology where performance decreases disregarding all the mental effort put into that activity. The psychology behind the theory of competition shows that different personalities react differently under certain pressures in various environments. However, the social effects on the competition with performance pressure mean that if these individuals do end up having negative effects this could impact the team that they are working with. For example, in a workplace environment if one individual crumbles under the intense pressure of competition then this may have significant outcomes for other members of the team. However, this can also work in a positive direction as well because if that member has the performance pressure to allow them to succeed better in the competition this can mean that the whole team will benefit from this success. These are the main core concepts and mechanisms that go into the psychological theory of competition from an aspect that analyses personality and examines the social effects on individuals and others.

The Social Aspects Of Competition

The social aspects of competition are described, explaining the emotional responses, interpersonal dynamics, and relationships among teams and rivals.

Emotional responses would explain the different reactions and emotions that are prominent when in competition with others. A previous study regulated the positive and negative emotional responses of competing college athletes daily. This explains how competition sparks different emotions so it is important for these competitors to regulate their emotions to promote positive psychological well-being and improved athletic performance. Competition is demonstrated throughout many different life situations however for this example, the emotional responses that are shown through competition within sport but similar emotions are shown throughout all other competitive situations. Competition can include what's known as a roller coaster of emotions which means that there are multiple different emotions felt during the performance. So positive emotions that are seen when competing would be satisfying either after the competition knowing one has performed well or even beforehand as taking part is fulfilling enough and shows a sense of belonging which is a reward. However negative emotions can also arise from competition which include stress and anxiety which can be caused by the level of reward one is competing for. It can also cause anger and upset which may not just affect the individual but others around them having a much wider social impact on everyone due to one competition. Frustration and jealousy may also be ignited as competition can cause social comparison which may have detrimental effects on mental health and the outcome of the competition. These positive and negative factors are influential not only to the individual but also to those in their presence which causes a wider social impact when these competitions are started.

Another social aspect of competition is interpersonal dynamics, which refers to the relationships and interactions amongst the team which are caused by the competition. This is manifested through different rivalries, and non-hostile situations which show a social dynamic of competition and affect different factors of the principles of the theory. The social comparison theory is shown in rival competitors and shows that within these competitions with opponents of similar skills, there is a greater chance of comparison whereas for those that are non-rivals and not hostile, there is less comparison. This is also prominent for the relationships with the team or opponent where the comparison effect is more prominent if the target or team is interpersonally close.

The other social aspect of the competition is teamwork and collaboration which is demonstrated through social cohesion theory. Social cohesion theory in the context of competition refers to the shared unity of a particular competition that brings groups together as they share the same ideas which creates a sense of belonging amongst these groups. This demonstrates the social aspect of teamwork and collaboration in competitive situations as they should all aim for the same goal for that competition which will unite these groups. However, if those ideas are different for performance in competition, then this is where negative effects can strike between groups and this can cause uneasy tensions within communities which then can be detrimental to the performance within that competition.

A final social aspect of competition refers to the relationship to cooperation within these competitions. It involves a balance between competitive and cooperative behaviours within societal groups which is a difficult balance to achieve as there are many overlapping factors within competition and cooperation. Social groups must find a balance by working with cooperation and competition together to create the most successful outcome possible. Cooperation is when groups work together and although this influences trust amongst teams and other benefits. Cooperation is a normal instinct for humans when in team situations and working towards a situation however competition still arises in these situations and can be seen in both positive and negative situations. Negativity can be shown through competitive individuals who refuse to cooperate and therefore create a hostile situation. Positively shown through encouraging other team members to stay motivated by creating subtle pressures to succeed.

Practical Implementation

The psychological theory of competition is seen in multiple real-life situations. Competition can be present in sporting events individually and in team situations. Whether it is competing to win a game, getting a certain number of points, competing to get a title or time, or for a certain individual goal in any competitive mindset. Competition can also be present in workplace environments amongst different team members in jobs where social comparison can be prominent when teams are trying to balance cooperation and competition. The benefits of having competition in workplace environments can influence others to perform better and increase motivation. Limitations would include increased levels of social comparison which would hinder performance. From an academic view, competition can be manifested by different correlative effects between competition and education. The direct input of competition can influence the learning of those in an educational setting. This can result in academic pressure and have different effects on mental health, especially at a younger age and prominently seen in adolescents. A final way the psychological theory of competition can be shown is through social relationships, for example within friendships, family and romantic partners. Within romantic relationships and friendship groups, competition can be seen in different ways. Social exchange theory refers to how relationships must balance their gains and sacrifices. Competition adds to this by having relationships compete for more rewards to satisfy their wishes. Within these relationships, competition can be harmful and selfish however it can also lead to encouraging the best version of oneself by motivating different factors through competition. These were a few examples of how the psychological theory of competition is presented in real-life scenarios however there is still another way that it is presented but future research needs to go into these areas of social psychology.