The relationship between creativity and sport in comparative research on mountaineers, parachutists, and track and field athletes

Scientific Study from the year 2025 in the subject Sport - Sport Psychology, , language: English, abstract: The research question is: if and how do the specific conditions of mountaineering translate into higher creativity levels compared to disciplines with lower risk and emotional load? Preliminary theoretical assumptions lead to further research questions: Do climbers exhibit higher creativity than athletes from other domains that do not integrate similar levels of risk and emotional intensity? What specific factors (for example, personality traits, cognitive processes, lifestyle, motivational mechanisms) influence creativity in the context of high-altitude climbing? Do different aspects of creativity - broad (exploratory) and narrow (reflective, refining) - develop to different extents depending on the discipline? The theoretical framework of this study builds around several key components. First, we will outline the analogies and differences between sport and creativity: definitions, criteria, and models of creativity, and the characteristics of selected sports, including mountaineering, along with their similarities and differences. Second, we will provide a detailed analysis of mountaineering from the standpoint of factors relevant to creativity: cognitive predispositions and intelligence, cognitive processes (such as flexibility of thinking, ideation, associations, and problem solving), personality traits, behavioral disorders, emotions, motivation, lifestyle (risk, autonomy, solitude, life outside routine), and product traits (relatively unique experiences and outcomes of climbers' actions). Finally, we will present the hypotheses that will guide the design of the subsequent chapters.