A study of rivalry as a form of interpersonal relationship

Abstract

The first purpose of this study was to examine and define rivalry as a form of interpersonal relationship. The second was to investigate what factors most affected the interpersonal attraction between rivals. University students were indiviaually interviewed and asked whether or not they had any current or past rivals. If they had any, they were then asked to describe some aspects of their rivalry, such as the situation in which it occurred, its outcomes, the feelings toward the rival, and its effects on their and rivals' behavior. Results showed that rivals were frequently described as competitive partners sharing the same goal, having similar abilities, and affecting each other in positive ways. According to the level of attraction between the rivals, rivalry was categorized into four types: task-oriented, opponent, fellow, and good-friend. In relation to the four rivalry types, three aspects of competition were examined: equal versus unequal, onesided versus mutual, and result-oriented versus person-oriented. © 1995, The Japanese Psychological Association. All rights reserved.