Mastery vs. Competitive Climate: Which Mindset Is Superior?

Introduction

There are two types of people in this world: Those who want to continuously improve as an individual and those who want to continuously be the best. In sports psychology, these are known as “Mastery Climate” and “Competitive Climate”. Athletes who are “in-it-to-win-it” typically fall under the competitive climate category, whereas athletes who focus on themselves and their own personal improvement fall under the mastery climate category. Both mastery and competitive climate have their pros and cons.

Let’s break it down.

Competitive Climate

Some people just love the feeling of competing. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a formal sporting event or just a casual family board game night, these types of people are just naturally prone to creating a competitive atmosphere (even if no one else in the room cares who wins). This mindset of being in-it-to-win-it can be fun and energizing in a number of different settings in life, but it is important to not get too carried away. For instance, I highly encourage you to stay away from a competitive climate mindset when trying to accomplish personal goals such as improving your physical health.

People who are overly competitive are often guilty of comparing themselves to those around them. Try and stay away from this type of thinking when working on personal goals such as your physical health. If you walk into a gym and immediately start comparing yourself to those around you, I guarantee your self-confidence will go down the drain.

When I started weight training, that guy was me. The second I saw someone who appeared to be in substantially better physical condition than me, I would either get really jealous or get frustrated with myself. Even though that person was minding their own business and never did anything to me personally, it would bother me. Eventually I realized how ridiculous this type of thinking was. That realization helped me change my mindset to one that focused purely on me. This was a game changer and it will be for you too if you are a naturally competitive person.

Mastery Climate

While competitive climate folks (such as my former self) are in the gym comparing themselves to those around them, mastery climate folks are in there focusing purely on themselves. They aren’t concerned about how physically fit they are in comparison to those around them. This is important to understand because of the well-established research that has been done on this topic. Research has shown that individuals who are willing to focus on themselves are more likely to experience improvements in their physical health than those who compare themselves to others (Cox, 2012).

This is especially important if you commit to a group fitness class. For instance, if the person next to you in the group fitness class is doing the exact same exercise as you but using heavier weights, that’s not a reason to get down on yourself. Comparing yourself like that doesn’t do anything other than diminish your self-confidence. By focusing on yourself and maintaining a mindset dedicated to consistent self-improvement (not competing against your peers), you are much more likely to get the results you desire.

Although I personally prefer to exercise alone, I can definitely say that after I stopped comparing myself to other gym goers, my workouts became more organized, more effective, more rewarding, and more fun!

Last Remarks

I want to finish by saying that there is nothing wrong with friendly competition. Friendly competitions, if mutually agreed upon by all those involved in the activity, can create a fun and exciting atmosphere. Keep in mind that losing (or not coming in first place) does not mean that you have failed. If it is an activity that you plan on continuing to participate in the future, focus on further enhancing your skills and improving your weaknesses. For physical activities such as weight training, group fitness classes, or anything else exercise-related, it is never a competition. If your goal is to improve your physical health, the only person that matters is you! There is no such thing as competition when it comes to self-improvement.

References

Cox, R. (2012). Sport psychology: Concepts and applications (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.