Enjoyment Of Competition Research Articles

How bad do you want it? A bibliometric review of individual competitiveness

PurposeCompetitiveness is an individual difference variable that incorporates factors generally associated with the desire to excel in comparison to others and the enjoyment of competition. There is still much debate on whether it is helpful or harmful, which may stem from the scattered ways in which it is studied. Thereby, this study aims to properly synthesize the literature concerning the prevailing correlates, underlying theory and frequent applications of competitiveness and to set forth an outline of domains in need of further research and exploration.Design/methodology/approachThe authors do so by using two methods of analysis on a representative sample of 546 peer-reviewed publications.FindingsThe authors find that competitiveness research has and will continue to grow expeditiously, but its complexity and cloudiness have not yet been attenuated.Originality/valueThe study uncovers opportunities for pertinent future research on competitiveness to grow more productively and collaboratively by highlighting salient works and identifying the fragmentations that have led the literature into a state of disarray.

The Role of Athlete Competitiveness in High School Sport Specialization in the United States.

Background:Sport specialization has been associated with increased injury and negative psychosocial effects on young athletes. With the continuing trend toward specialization, studies have begun to examine what motivates this decision (eg, building a skill, getting a scholarship). No study has directly assessed the personal characteristics underlying these stated reasons.Purpose/Hypothesis:This study examined the role of athlete competitiveness (enjoyment of competition and competitive contentiousness) as a characteristic associated with propensity to specialize in the United States. We hypothesized that, at the high school level, athletes would be more likely to engage in sport specialization owing to enjoyment of competition versus competitive contentiousness.Study Design:Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:We conducted an online survey of 975 high school athletes in the United States who were recruited via the Dynata research panel. Measures included a previously published sport specialization categorization (low, medium, high) and the 2 dimensions of the Revised Competitiveness Index (enjoyment of competition and competitive contentiousness). Also collected were athlete characteristics, sports played by the athletes, level of competition, and whether they planned to play sports in college. Analytical methods employed included cross-tabulations, multinomial logit, and ordinary least squares regression.Results:Overall, 22.4% of the athletes reported a high, 34.8% reported a medium, and 42.9% reported a small level of specialization. No differences in the distribution of sport specialization by sex or age were observed; however, athletes who definitely planned to play in college were significantly more likely to have a high level of specialization (P < .001). Enjoyment of competition was associated with greater specialization (beta = .196; P < .001), whereas competitive contentiousness was associated with lower levels of specialization (beta = −.299; P < .001). These findings were robust to all 3 different analytical methods we employed.Conclusion:Study findings indicated that, while athlete competitiveness is associated with sport specialization, the nature of that competitiveness determined the association. Being an argumentative contrarian may predispose athletes to lower levels of sport specialization, whereas enjoying competition may encourage higher levels of specialization.

Diverging associations of dimensions of competitiveness with gender and personality

More attention must be paid to the multidimensional nature of competitiveness to better understand how competitiveness relates to personality and gender. We focus on three dimensions: Desire to Win (DW), Personal Development competitiveness (PD), and Enjoyment of Competition (EC). Our empirical exploratory analysis is based on a large sample of 1520 individuals. We control for interdimensional correlations, correct for multiple testing, and use conservative thresholds to provide robust evidence on dimension-specific associations of competitiveness with personality, operationalized via the HEXACO framework, and gender. Independent of the respectively other competitiveness dimensions, DW relates to less honesty-humility and less agreeableness, PD to more emotionality, and EC to more extraversion and less emotionality. EC is the sole source of gender differences among the correlated competitiveness dimensions.

BİREYSEL REKABETÇİLİK ÖLÇEĞİ: TÜRKÇE UYARLAMA, GEÇERLİK VE GÜVENİRLİK ÇALIŞMASI

Rekabetçilik, bireylerin kişisel ve mesleki yaşamlarında nasıl davranacaklarını etkileyebilen bir kişilik faktörü olarak değerlendirilmektedir. İstikrarlı bir kişilik özelliği olarak görülen rekabetçiliği ölçmek için geliştirilen 14 maddelik revize edilmiş Rekabet İndeksi, yaygın kullanılan bir araçtır. Bu çalışma, Revize Edilmiş Rekabet Ölçeğinin Türkçe uyarlamasını amaçlamaktadır. Öncelikle uzmanlar tarafından Türkçe’ye çevirisi yapılan Rekabet Ölçeği, çevirinin uygunluğunun tespiti için tekrar kaynak dile çevrilmiş ve Türkçe formun son hali verilmiştir. 430 üniversite öğrencisine uygulanan bu Türkçe ölçeğin yapı geçerliliği, iç tutarlılığı ve düzeltilmiş madde korelasyonları incelenmiştir. Faktör ve güvenilirlik analizi neticesinde ölçekten 3 ifade çıkarılmıştır. Böylece ölçeğin aslına uygun olarak Rekabetten Hoşlanma ve Yarışmadan Kaçınma (cronbach alpha: 0,936 ve 0,807) şeklindeki iki boyutlu yapıya ulaşılmıştır. Çalışmanın sonucunda, Bireysel Rekabetçilik Ölçeğinin, Türk kültürüne uygun, geçerli ve güvenilir bir ölçme aracı olduğu tespit edilmiştir.

A Comparative, Multi-national Analysis of the Quality of Life and Learning Factors of Medical and Non-medical Undergraduate Students

This study compares data from two medical student cohorts early in their training from New Zealand and Hong Kong and then makes further comparisons with a non-medical group. Questionnaires obtained information regarding educational site (universities situated in New Zealand, Hong Kong, and USA), gender, age, motivational beliefs, quality of life, and competitiveness. The study was split into two phases. The first phase focused on measuring and comparing the learning and wellbeing variables of two medical student cohorts. The second phase focussed on making further comparisons with non-medical student groups. Responses were elicited from 353 students in medically oriented courses and 688 students with a non-medical orientation. For phase 1, the results indicated differences between the two medical student groups on measures of self-efficacy, intrinsic value, enjoyment of competition, and physical quality of life. For phase 2, differences between the medical and non-medical student groups were noted for self-efficacy, intrinsic value, enjoyment of competition, contentiousness, and physical and social quality of life. The results provide insights into medical and non-medical students' learning and wellbeing experiences from multi-national, multi-discipline perspectives. The results suggest that wellbeing issues of students are likely context-specific and moderated by region, curriculum, gender, and culture.

Entrepreneurs embrace competition: evidence from a lab-in-the-field study

Referring to Isreal M. Kirzner (1973) and Schumpeter (1934), who emphasized the competitive nature of entrepreneurship, this study investigates whether potential and revealed entrepreneurs are more likely to seek competition than non-entrepreneurs. We provide a conceptual framework that links entrepreneurship to three facets of individual competitiveness drawn from economic, entrepreneurship, and psychological research: a desire to win, striving for personal development, and an enjoyment of competition. Following economic research linking competitive behavior in experiments to career choices, we conduct a lab-in-the-field study and demonstrate that entrepreneurs are more likely to enter competitions than non-entrepreneurs. Accounting for individual desires to win and mastery-related achievement motivations, our results indicate that entrepreneurs tend to enter competition for the sake of competition itself rather than for the prospect of winning it or personal development. Our results suggest that enjoyment of competition might be an additional factor driving entrepreneurs’ market entry decisions beyond well-known factors like overconfidence and risk-taking.

Biomedical Students in their First Year of Study: Factors Explaining Performance in a High Stakes Examination

Strong theoretical arguments, such as the expectancy-value theory, support the idea that high-stakes examinations can cultivate competitive behavior and have an impact on wellbeing and motivation, especially in courses that demand high grades for admission. Academic achievement in a high-stakes examination can be explained by cost factors (measured in reference to quality of life variables), persistence factors (measured in terms of competiveness and motivational beliefs), and a utility and choice variable (related to choice of course). All students (N = 1036) studying in a population health course within the biomedical first year course were invited to participate in an online survey in 2014. A questionnaire elicited information regarding gender, age, ethnicity, grade achievement, importance of selection into medicine, motivation, competitiveness, and quality of life (QOL). The main analysis incorporated a structural equation modeling procedure to consider how the aforementioned variables could explain grade achievement. The response rate was 33%. The emergent model was consistent with the theoretical model. Physical QOL generated a negatively oriented regression weight with respect to test anxiety, whereas psychological QOL was positively associated with respect to self-efficacy, intrinsic value, and enjoyment of competition and negatively associated with test anxiety. Social relationship QOL was positively associated with test anxiety, but environmental QOL produced no significant regression weights. Self-efficacy and intrinsic value yielded a positive regression weight in reference to importance of medicine, which in turn generated a positive regression weight when explaining grade attainment. The findings suggest that students who have minimal cost factors in terms of QOL experiences will likely harness efficient persistence strategies resulting in more focused study strategies, which will inevitably lead to a better academic outcome. The findings also suggest that a model based on the expectancy value theory predicted the data well. This study additionally promotes the argument for the need for a comprehensive and integrated strategy for further promoting QOL, learning support, and career advice and to further understand the impact of competitive learning environments on students’ study and social behaviors.

Gender Differences in the Relationship between Competitiveness and Adjustment among Athletically Identified College Students

This study explored the relationship between gender and enjoyment of competition and various indicators of mental health and adjustment in a sample of college students who report that they highly value athletics. One hundred and thirty-seven students completed the Sports Anxiety Scale, Multi-perfectionism Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Trait), Beck Depression Inventory, and Perception of Competition Scale. Results indicated that among women, enjoyment of competition was associated with decreased levels of athletic anxiety and a positive correlation between positive self-perception when winning and self-and socially oriented perfectionism, and between negative perception when losing and self-and socially oriented perfectionism. Among males, enjoyment of competition was related to decreased levels of general anxiety and depression, but not athletic anxiety. Furthermore, among men there was a positive correlation between enjoying competition and self-oriented perfectionism and between negative self-perception when losing and socially-oriented perfectionism. These data indicate gender differentially impacts the benefit of valuing athletics on measures of athletic anxiety and general measures of psychological well being.

Competitiveness among Japanese, Chinese, and American Undergraduate Students

Although research indicates that competitiveness, defined as the desire to win in interpersonal situations, is an important individual difference that influences a range of social interactions, little research has focused on competitiveness in cultures outside the United States. This study investigated competitiveness in three cultures by comparing Chinese (n=61), Japanese (n=232), and American (n=161) undergraduate college students. Nationality and sex were compared on two scales of the revised Competitiveness Index. Analysis indicated that American students scored higher on Enjoyment of Competitiveness than Chinese and Japanese students, but no difference was found on Contentiousness. Men scored higher than women on Enjoyment of Competition but not on Contentiousness. The findings indicate that sex and cultural patterns influence some but not all aspects of competitiveness.

Revising the Competitiveness Index Using Factor Analysis

The Competitiveness Index is a 20-item true-false measure designed to assess the desire to win in interpersonal situations. To develop a more psychometrically sound form of the scale, 213 undergraduates were administered the original form and a modified version containing a 5-point Likert-type scale. An initial principal component analysis using a varimax rotation of the modified version yielded a four-factor solution accounting for 54.5% of the explained variance. Based on a subsequent reliability analysis. six items were dropped from the modified scale. A second analysis produced a two-factor solution accounting for 54.1% of the explained variance. Both factors (Enjoyment of Competition and Contentiousness) formed reliable subscales. The 14-item Revised Competitiveness Index had high internal consistency and was positively correlated with the original Competitiveness Index, the competitiveness subscales of the Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire, the Sports Orientation Questionnaire, and the Nach Naff measure of Need for Achievement.

REVISING THE COMPETITIVENESS INDEX USING FACTOR ANALYSIS

The Competitiveness Index is a 20-item true-false measure designed to assess the desire to win in interpersonal situations. To develop a more psychometrically sound form of the scale, 213 undergraduates were administered the original form and a modified version containing a 5-point Likert-type scale. An initial principal component analysis using a varimax rotation of the modified version yielded a four-factor solution accounting for 54.5% of the explained variance. Based on a subsequent reliability analysis, six items were dropped from the modified scale. A second analysis produced a two-factor solution accounting for 54.1% of the explained variance. Both factors (Enjoyment of Competition and Contentiousness) formed reliable subscales. The 14-item Revised Competitiveness Index had high internal consistency and was positively correlated with the original Competitiveness Index, the competitiveness subscales of the Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire, the Sports Orientation Questionnaire, and the Nach Naff measure of Need for Achievement.