The psychology of rock climbing: A systematic review

Background

Psychology plays an important role in rock climbing performance and safety. Many studies have examined the psychology of rock climbing, a sport that has grown in popularity and status over the past few decades.

Objective

This systematic review aimed to summarize published research on the psychology of rock climbing, find commonalities and disagreements within the current research and illuminate future research areas.

Methods

A systematic literature search was conducted in three electronic databases (Scopus, PsycINFO and SPORTDiscus) in July 2023. Key search terms such as ‘sport climbing’ and ‘psychology’ were included and combined using the operators “AND”, “OR”. The search syntax initially identified 504 records. After screening abstracts and full texts, 83 studies examining the psychology of rock climbing remained.

Results

Studies were sorted by whether they measured climbing-specific or psychological variables. Climbers are conscientious, intrinsically motivated and task-oriented. Flow is brought on by novel, challenging climbing situations and increases enjoyment and performance. Climbing ability correlates with self-confidence, decision-making ability, tactile and spatial perception and anxiety facilitation. Better and more experienced climbers better manage risk with less psychophysiological effects. Weaknesses of the current body of literature and avenues for future research were highlighted.

Conclusion

Findings from this review suggest rock climbers are a unique group of athletes who balance risk with performance in different environments. Flow, confidence, anxiety facilitation and perception all play key roles in climbing performance. The optimal levels and development of these and more psychological variables have yet to be clarified by existing literature.