Part 4: Competition as a Process

• Competition as a Process

  • [see overhead of model]
  • Leading to a product (competitive match/game)
  • Competition will be in exam
  • Says 4 components
• Components of Martens’ (1976) Model of Competition:

  • Stage 1: Objective Competitive Situation
  • Stage 2: Subjective Competitive Situation (perception)
  • Stage 3: Responses
  • Stage 4: Consequences
• Marten’s (1976) Model of Competition - Stage 1: Objective Competitive Situation 

  1. Social environment (eg., opponents, teammates, crowd, selectors, coach...)
  2. Physical environment (eg., ground/weather conditions, ...)
  3. Available rewards (eg., medals, trophies, money, team selection, praise)
  4. Task characteristics (eg., level of difficulty; uncertainty about outcome)
• Marten’s (1976) Model of Competition - Stage 1: Objective Competitive Situation 

  • Social environment (eg., opponents, teammates, crowd, selectors, coach...)
  • Who else is running 
  • Are crowd with or against them 
  • Are selectors paying attention 
  • May not have coach 
• Marten’s (1976) Model of Competition - Stage 1: Objective Competitive Situation 

  • Physical environment (eg., ground/weather conditions, ...)
  • Acclimatised or not 
  • Track/court suit running style etc
  • Available rewards (eg., medals, trophies, money, team selection, praise)
  • Task characteristics (eg., level of difficulty; uncertainty about outcome)
  • If is a difficult task
• Marten’s (1976) Model of Competition - Stage 1: Objective Competitive Situation 

  • Are unchangeable, then you interpret & perceive these objective things
  • Out of their control
• Marten’s (1976) Model of Competition - Stage 2: Subjective Competitive Situation (perception)

  • How you perceive & make sense of it 
  • Main focus in social psych (key part for us)
  • Why do others perceives things differently 
  • Leads to their responses
• Marten’s (1976) Model of Competition - Stage 2: Subjective Competitive Situation (perception)

  1. Competitive Trait Anxiety (CTA)
  2. Achievement Motivation (eg., goal orientations)
  3. Attitudes towards competition (eg., positive or negative) 
  4. Self-esteem (esp. related to self-confidence)
• Marten’s (1976) Model of Competition - Stage 2: Subjective Competitive Situation (perception)

  • Competitive Trait Anxiety (CTA)
  • Level of CTA 
  • Influences how perceive it to some extent
  • Achievement Motivation (eg., goal orientations)
  • What motivation do they have 
  • Task vs Goal orientations 
• Marten’s (1976) Model of Competition - Stage 2: Subjective Competitive Situation (perception)

  • Attitudes towards competition (eg., positive or negative)
  • Some love it, some don’t care, some dislike it 
  • Just bc/ play competitive sport, doesn’t mean they love competing 
  • Self-esteem (esp. related to self-confidence)
  • What do they think about themselves 
  • Is it riding on their performance, or other things that give sense of accomplishment/self-esteem 
  • eg fail at life or succeed at life (extreme version)
• Marten’s (1976) Model of Competition - Stage 3: Responses 

  1. Physiological (arousal, somatic state anxiety)
  2. HR could be up 
  3. Increased uncontrolled physiological arousal 
  4. May have uncontrolled muscle tension (shakes)
  5. Psychological (emotional arousal, cognitive state anxiety)
  6. Behavioural  (approach or avoid)
• Marten’s (1976) Model of Competition - Stage 4: Consequences

  • What happens at the end of this 
  • Most the time is a winner or loser
  • May or may not be their definition of success 
  • Or may be getting a PB, playing well, getting within a certain score etc
• Marten’s (1976) Model of Competition - Stage 4: Consequences

  • May anticipate stuff, which may influence how are thinking now

  1. Usually Negative OR Positive (eg., win/lose; succeed/fail [PERCEPTION])
  2. Usually socially evaluated & determined