The Two Mindsets of Contesting: Character Development, Coaching Practice, and Implications for Higher Education Athletics

Contesting theory proposes that athletes interpret contesting through two conceptual metaphors: contest-is-partnership and contest-is-war. These give rise to the Competition Mindset and Decompetition Mindset, respectively. This article synthesizes and critically evaluates the empirical foundations of contesting theory, tracing its roots in moral psychology, game reasoning, achievement motivation, moral atmosphere research, and social interdependence theory. It examines relationships between the two mindsets and character-related variables across published studies of intercollegiate athletes. The Competition Mindset predicts positive outcomes, while the Decompetition Mindset predicts negative outcomes, though less consistently. Findings are translated into practice through the PRIMED-2C coaching model, with implications for kinesiology.