Friend vs. Friend

2008's Beijing Olympics are generating some new terms for us in the world of sport psychology. Two of them are "frenemies" and "chumpetitors". What is a frenemy? Put simply, a frenemy is the combination of friend and enemy, while chumpetitor is a fusion of chum and competitor. Frenemies competing against each other in Olympic events is common, especially when athletes from the same country train, room, relax, eat, and study together. Oh yeah - they compete against each other, too. For examples of frenemies from 2008, see Michael Phelps vs. Ryan Lochte, Nastia Liukin vs. Shawn Johnson, and Kirsty Coventry vs. Margaret Hoelzer.

What is the psychological effect on competition of going all-out against a frenemy? According to Harvard Medical School sport psychologist Richard Ginsburg, "Pushing each other to the limit can be seen as a way to honor the friendship, as opposed to a way to challenge or undermine it." In other words, seeing your best friend in the lane next to you in a swimming meet can serve to inspire both to greater heights of athleticism. Of course, the trick is to remain the best of friends outside of competition.

Read more about frenemies and chumpetitors in Linton Weeks' NPR column here.