c. 1996 Religion News Service

(Body & Soul is a regular column exploring the interplay between spirituality and psychology. Pythia Peay is the author of”Putting America on the Couch,”to be published by Riverhead Books in 1997.)

(UNDATED) Athletic excellence never fails to inspire awe. Everyone loves a winner, whether it’s the image of an ancient Olympic runner racing to victory, or U.S. gymnast Kerri Strug’s recent vault to victory in Atlanta.

Only a privileged few ever are able to go for Olympic gold. But deep down, many of us _ from little leaguers and soccer players to business people, scholars and artists _ believe that winning is the most important thing.

Uppermost in our minds is the idea that competition brings out our personal best _ but we often fail to consider the truth that unbridled pursuit of excellence can also darken the heart with discontent.

Many Americans, says San Diego State University sports psychologist Jeffrey B. Bryson, have highly ambivalent attitudes toward competition. Winning may be everything to some athletes, who are focused only on performing to the peak of their abilities. But Bryson says for others _ women especially _ victory contains a hidden hazard _ feelings of guilt about competitors they have vanquished.

The pressure of competition has its effects on performance. It’s not so much winning or losing, he says, but a crippling fear that can cause an athlete to stumble in his or her performance. “Trying to make a five-feet putt when $100,000 is riding on the outcome,”says Bryson,”can make it seem like five miles.”Thus, he says, it’s helpful for athletes not to become too preoccupied with the prize. Instead, performance is enhanced by centering on”doing the act well.” But Bryson, who counsels athletes contending in a variety of Olympic events, also believes people can improve their attitudes about the agony of defeat. Losing, he tells them, can be a stepping-stone to victory.”Those who succeed should take pride in their achievement. Those who lose can take pride in their performance,”he counsels.”There is strength to be gained from adversity.” But there are those who believe that pitting ourselves against others in an all-out battle to be the best doesn’t always enhance the quality of our lives.

Alfie Kohn, author of the 1986 book,”The Case Against Competition,”(Houghton Mifflin), an examination of winner-take-all attitudes on the playing field and off, contends that there is no such thing as”healthy competition.” By its very definition, he says, competition is an anti-social act, an arrangement where one can succeed only if others fail. He contends it creates anxiety, poisons relationships, undermines our psychological health and interferes with the quality of performance.

While Kohn condemns all forms of competition, noted Czech psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of the recent book”Creativity,”(HarperCollins), takes a more moderate view. Competition is deeply rooted in the human psyche, he notes, adding that the original meaning of the word is”to seek together.” The idea contained in this definition is that it’s difficult to find out how good a person is at something unless matched against someone else. A runner, for instance, would have difficulty determining his or her speed if there were no one to race against, he explains.

Thus competition fulfills an important evolutionary function, as people learn to push themselves to the limit.

Yet Csikszentmihalyi notes that some personalities flourish in a competitive environment, while others work better alone. Scientists in particular, he says, are more likely to achieve in a competitive academic milieu, such as a laboratory or high-powered university. Those whose work demands introspection, however _ such as artists or writers _ are more comfortable competing against themselves.

There is much to learn from Olympic athletes and other competitive types. It is admirable to work hard, with single-minded dedication to one’s talent or profession. But when the will to win eclipses all else, we cheat ourselves of what is most valuable in life _ personal integrity and peace of mind.

MJP END PEAY