The different psychological effects of sport competition on individual sport athletes vs team sport athletes

Abstract

Sport competition exerts profound psychological impacts on athletes, yet the nature and intensity of these effects can vary between those competing in individual sports and those competing in team sports. This study aims to identify and explore these differences through a holistic view of participants’ experiences of competitions. Athletes’ experience a range of physical and psychological challenges during competitions which depend on several factors, namely, their personal characteristics and the external environment. Using a qualitative approach and purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews were conducted with athletes to gain insight into their emotional experiences, coping strategies, sources of motivation, and perceived stress during competition. In this study, an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of the findings was conducted to capture full understanding of the participants lived experiences. The results of this study yielded three main themes: ‘The Inner Landscape of the Athlete’; ‘Navigating the Competitive Environment’; and ‘The Embodied Experience of Performance’. Even though the analysis revealed recurring patterns, such as the sole responsibility felt in individual sports versus the shared accountability felt in team sports, other emergent themes suggested that the differences between the two groups are not as clear-cut as commonly believed. These findings highlight the nuanced ways competitive environments shape athletes’ psychological experiences and highlight the importance of context-sensitive support strategies in sports psychology practice.