Competitive spirit as a form of behavioral addiction: the case study of Michael Jordan

When studying biographical narratives constituting “The Michael Jordan Myth,” certain patterns emerge. For example, it is possible to identify mythemes corresponding with Campbell’s concept of the hero’s journey monomyth. This study focuses on a particular pattern, which is a progression of addiction with its phases, axial points, and list of symptoms. One of the most frequently used epithets in regard to the hero of this particular myth is “competitive.” While this is a quality of numerous outstanding athletes, in Jordan’s case competitiveness appears as a dominant quality and a driving force throughout his entire career.

The premise of my study is the assumption that Jordan’s competitive spirit is a symptom of behavioral addiction and winning/defeating rivals is the behavior of an addict. The goal of the study is to use Jordan’s biographies and, based on Jellinek’s model of addiction progression, to verify whether Jordan’s accomplishments on and off the court can be viewed as symptoms of unclassified behavioral addiction.