Competitive and non-competitive behaviours in male and female runners
Authors
Knaggs, Peter
Issue Date
2024
Degree
BA Hons Psychology
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
Abstract
This quantitative between groups design study, by means of survey form, examined various aspects of competitiveness and non-competitiveness in running club members, examining gender differences. It assessed if male runners were more competitive than female runners, if competitive male runners have higher affect scores than non-competitive male runners and if competitive female runners have higher affect scores than non-competitive female runners. It also considered if there was a difference between the genders on other aspects of competitiveness, such as goal orientation competitiveness and personal enhancement competitiveness. Participants were (n=184) with roughly an even male/female ratio. Participants were sourced through Irish running clubs. Females were found to be more competitive than their male counterparts, while both genders were found to benefit from positive wellbeing affect when running competitively. Males were found to have lower psychological distress when running non-competitively and increased fatigue when running competitively.