What is the Psychology of Competition?

Abstract This chapter provides an overview of the psychology of competition. Common definitions of competition tend to emphasize its objective features, which produce a zero-sum interaction whereby the outcome establishes winners and losers based on more than mere chance. The psychological study of competition, however, is primarily concerned with individuals’ behavior and their subjective feelings, perceptions, motivations, and intentions. As such, this book defines competition more broadly to include all manifestations of individual competitive behavior or competitive psychological state, even when they occur outside of overtly competitive institutional arrangements or explicitly competitive interactions. The chapter then outlines the following chapters, which showcase the study of competition across the broad spectrum of psychology, including biopsychology, evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, motivation, emotion, cognitive psychology, decision making, social psychology, personality psychology, organizational psychology, educational psychology, sports psychology, and more. The book divides the literature into four groups: Biological Approaches, Motivation and Emotion Approaches, Cognitive and Decision Making Approaches, and Social-Personality and Organizational Approaches.