Derek Morton

FHS 1100

Mark Jarvis

February 26, 2018

Cooperation v. Competition

QUESTION:

Based on your knowledge of American culture and child development, respond to BOTH of the
following: sets of questions:

1. Is competition over-emphasized in American Society? Why? What are the advantages of such a
competitive attitude? What are the disadvantages?

2. Identify situations that you have observed in which competition has actually interfered with people
achieving a goal. Is competition emphasized in children? What recommendations would you make to
parents regarding their child's participation in soccer, baseball, etc.?

ANSWER:
In many aspects of American culture, competition is king. It seems that no matter where we go,

there is always another instance of being competitive or proving oneself to their fellow peers. On the

freeway, we race to pass each other if a car slows us down. We worship different sports teams and

boast how well ours is doing this season. In school, we praise and acknowledge those who do well

academically, and especially those who play sports and take us to the top bracket. At home, we compete

with our siblings to be better, faster, and stronger than they are. We compete for job titles, school

admittance, and who has the hottest significant other. Competition is engrained in the very fabric of our

society, making it impossible to ignore or not participate in. This massive emphasis of competition

within our culture might stem from the ravenous desire to succeed. It seems that this desire is an

instinctual force that makes us want to constantly improve and be better than those around us, thus

improving survival chances. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though it could lead to bad consequences.
For example, this can push one to stretch farther in education to become more competent and able. The

drive to succeed and be better than others can have negative side affects too. For example, most if not

all schools in America use achievement tests to determine the academic standing of their students.

These tests usually focus on science, math, and reading skills (Don Kauchak, 2017, p. 143). If a student

isn’t proficient in any of these fields, they may be deemed stupid, unable, or unintelligent. This could

cause them to become self-conscious or depressed. If a student bases their worth solely on the scores

they receive in school, they could develop anxiety and depression. Many younger students don’t have

the resilience necessary to overcome such stressors and will be unable to face adversity (Berger, 2016,

p. 285). Another problem that these tests and standards create is cumulative stress. With such a great

emphasis on test scores and grades across the board, the stress that students face throughout each

school year builds. This can cause severe and pathological depression and anxiety (Berger, 2016, p. 286).

What these tests don’t take into consideration is multiple intelligences (Berger, 2016, p. 268). Some

people may be more intelligent in linguistics, but not math. Others may be able to comprehend music

easily, but have a harder time comprehending spatial differences. As we learn to accept the different

talents and abilities of others, we can avoid the social and psychological pressures caused by

competition, greatly improving everybody’s health and well-being.

I can recall one instance where competition hindered another from achieving their goals. My

sister once loved to sing and decided to pursue that talent in high school. The high school that we

attended had a very rigorous choral program, and the competition was known throughout the

community as being intense and demanding. Even though my sister had a legitimate talent for singing,

she ultimately decided to not try out for the advanced choir position due to the competition. She had a

preconceived notion that she couldn’t make it because the other students were also very talented and

were, in her words, “more likely to get into the class” than she was. Today, competition among children

is one of the most prevalent and bitter. We put our children into dance, music, sports, and even math
programs that encourage the best of the kids. This can put unnecessary pressures on them, often as

parents push them harder and harder to do more and more. A child might soon come to believe that

their value is based on their performance. If they fail, then they are failures and worthless. The

psychological damage that this can do could last for a lifetime. Instead of pushing their children to

unrealistic expectations, parents should focus on the journey of a sport or extracurricular activity, not

the end goal of winning. They might, for example, say, “You must have practiced very hard to do so well

in your performance.” In the event of a failure, the parent might say “I bet with even more practice you

can become better at making goals.” This doesn’t put pressure on the kids or their self-worth, but still

encourages improvement and goal setting. It focuses on the intrinsic values of growth, learning, and

improvement rather than the extrinsic values of reward, winning, and being the best. Having a cultural

shift like this is important, since children will see how families and others act and will ultimately pass

that behavior on to the next generation (Berger, 2016, p. 283). We can combat this negative behavior by

teaching our kids a better way, one that doesn’t include an unrealistic connection between self-worth

and achievement.

References
Berger, K. S. (2016). Invitation to the Life Span. New York: Worth Publishers.

Don Kauchak, P. E. (2017). Introduction to Teaching. Pearson Education.