Essay on Is competition good? Is there an alternative?

The thrill of winning a trophy for the first time is always memorable, however, it brings up the question: Is receiving an award for participating just as exciting? Participation awards are a topic highly debated among those of all ages, with none agreeing on a single answer. Individuals who are under the impression that they are essential believe they boost a child’s confidence and self-esteem. This may be true in some cases, but these trophies could be doing more harm than good. Although in the moment they may appear to be wholesome, they have a lasting effect on children as they grow older. Many children put loads of effort into winning awards, which is belittled by participation trophies that are not only unhelpful and unrewarding, but don’t teach them the important values learned by losing.

Competition between peers makes people strive to try and be better than their opponents, and can be healthy or unhealthy depending on the competitors and their responses to the competition.

Competition is prevalent in various aspects of life, including sports, school, and jobs. Everyone at some point in their lifetime will have to compete against others in order to achieve a goal or earn a prize. It’s how the world has worked for a long time; it’s survival of the fittest and this minor competition between everyone is how we have continuously gotten smarter, faster, and stronger. Competition is necessary to a certain degree, but how much is too much? It’s definitely not a bad thing, and as long as there’s a healthy amount, it can be beneficial because it fosters self-improvement, and it will push people to go all out and try their absolute best.

Alfie Kohn states that “competition by its very nature is always unhealthy” and has written an essay opposing the concept. There are various examples of competition in the world today, from sports that the world watches on television, to spelling bees children in elementary and middle school participate in. Competition is a part of our daily lives whether we’re aware of it or not; however, it does have its disadvantages that leads me to support Kohn’s opinion.

Many people feel that American society is too competitive. Does competition lead to better products and results, or does it lead to a focus on winning at all costs? Is fierce competition a good idea or bad idea? It’s a good idea to have the American society competitive. Being competitive brings out the best in people, doesn’t let people fill entitled, makes products higher quality goods and services.

There are many terms that we use in our everyday lives that also have their own application to the field of Sport and Performance psychology. For example, performance is simply performing a sport, whether it is team or individual. Commonly, athletes are striving to increase performance. Researchers record how the athlete performed at during a set task, then compare it to an equal measure and performance at a different time. An example would be, how many free throws were made out of shooting 10 shots, or how many passes were recorded in a game.

After reading Children Need to Play, Not Compete by Jessica Statsky I thought she brought up some very valid points. I do think that this is a topic that should be scrutinized. I have a different view of the subject. I think that competition can be physically, and psychologically harmful if left unchecked by "abusive/uncaring" adults. I do think that with the right, caring and team work fostering environment competition can fostered without harmful effects, and can lead to learning lifelong skills that can bring emotional joy.

Is American society too competitive? Yes, humanity as people know it is very competitive in all regions of their lives. In high school, one has to be the best to play any sport. If you are a female, the stress to be the ideal depiction and be more attractive than the next girls are implausible. To get into college, it is a contest to be the superlative student to get acknowledged. Most American children are brought up doing activities that teach and train them to be competitive, often times while working in a team situation. Competition is in the principle of profession. To survive in the country, one has to be hostile. Competitiveness lies at the heart of what has driven the country to become the best on Earth at so many things. America’s

In Hannah Pandels’s article, Healthy Competition is Good for Children, she makes the statement that it, competition, is a necessary and essential part of our society today. This article was written partly in response to numerous other articles stating the opposite but one was singled out. The American author Alfie Kohn. Now this fits into the childhood development debate that has been ongoing lately regarding the theory that today’s kids are more entitled to things and have less problem solving skills then previous generations. With that back ground she begins to vocalize her thoughts regarding the issue. Her thesis is clear, it is in the title for goodness sakes, that competition is a normal part of growing up and it is essential to the proper development of children. She states “competition breeds excellence” (Pandel) this simple statement engulfs the

No one is perfect. We disrespect, judge, provoke, and fight with each other which is wrong. We should be able to let people be who they are without the fear of being judged and discriminated against. Competition is a good thing. It makes us want to become better, stronger, smarter, more athletic, more productive and also more innovative. Although competition can get really intense it should be seen as a method of self-development. It should not give you the right to make others feel bad about themselves it should bring us together by trying to achieve the similar goal of being the

Perfect competition is an idealised market structure theory used in economics to show the market under a high degree of competition given certain conditions. This essay aims to outline the assumptions and distinctive features that form the perfectly competitive model and how this model can be used to explain short term and long term behaviour of a perfectly competitive firm aiming to maximise profits and the implications of enhancing these profits further.

For example, the text “What are the benefits of competitive sports for youth?” says that “Participating in sports teaches children and teenagers how to compete in the real world. As they grow older they'll face competition in school, in the workforce and other areas of life. .... Playing sports can help children understand how competition works in a friendly environment, and that if you try your hardest, you have a better chance to succeed.” This shows that sports teach children how to compete in a more competitive world. In addition, this shows that it prepares children for the real world. Also, the text “Sports: the benefits of competitive athletic sports” says that sports positively impact goal setting, will, perseverance, coping skills, integrity, cooperation, teamwork and builds a mindset for success as well as friendships, commitment, discipline, sacrifice, priorities, and heart. This shows that the lessons that sports teach extend beyond preparing children for the real life. Instead, they build you as a person. Thus, the lessons that sports teach leave a lasting impression on the

For example, a student may think that he can finish a reading assignment in less than an hour, when in actuality it takes three hours to complete. When this happens, he may not have enough time to do other things he had planned on doing. A heavy workload usually indicates that the individual will miss out on some sleep. To prevent sleep deprivation, one of the lecturers recommended writing down sleep as part of one’s daily schedule. To prevent issues of overloaded homework and less time for a social life, it is essential to figure out what to prioritize. The lecturers suggested  that we weigh the costs and benefits of each choice. For example, the lecturers gave us a “what-if” situation where we would have to choose between meeting a friend or studying for an exam. Most fellow students replied back that they would study for the exam first, then meet the friend briefly for coffee. In this case, if the friend was staying after the exam, he could be a motivation to study and do well on the exam. As much as it is important to finish the work at hand, it is almost as important to reward oneself after completing the task. Assignment after assignment without rewards builds stress, which can be detrimental to a healthy

competitive advantage. Hence, it is essential to study mental toughness and other psychological characteristics of the athletes.

Not everyone believes competitive sports are good for kids. Some people believe competitive sports are harmful to kids. Competitive sports are good because they improve overall health, teach life lessons, and positively impact kids lives.