Argumentative Essay on Competition’s Pros and Cons

Is Competition Really Good?

Introduction

Almost every day, people have to compete at work, in family, or in society. It may be the signing of a contract, or the winning or losing of a race, but this causes people to experience different emotions. In addition to the opportunity to feel joy, or to find new friends, competition can also lead to stress or obsession with a competitor.

The implication of competition

Competition always implies that a person needs to make an effort in order to achieve the desired result, for instance, to win tender or a race. It requires spending not only physical, but emotional energy. By overcoming personal limitations, a person becomes psychologically stronger, which can positively contribute to future achievements. The individual gets an opportunity to develop such qualities as stress resistance, creativity, and a sense of purpose (Harrison). Also, it is possible to develop other skills like speed or agility if the competition is related to physical activity. Also, achieving the desired results can bring positive emotions.

Apart from feeling joy for winning a competition, a person may also experience pleasant emotions in the process of achieving goals. For instance, in a summer camp, counselors organize competitions among several groups of children. Although everyone wants to win, the process of achieving a goal can be fun and interesting. Another example is that if competition is related to an activity that a person likes, then he or she will take part in it with great satisfaction, in addition to gaining new knowledge or skills. Therefore, it is worth not taking part in events where there is only one winning position, and it seems to be initially difficult, stressful, and impossible. Besides winning, an individual can gain experience of communication and find new friends in the course of a contest.

Interaction with people as a key to competition

In any case, competition involves interaction with people regardless of whether they are members of one team or opponents. If it is a group of people united by one idea, then it is a great way to learn how to communicate with others and take their opinions into account. Also, by taking the initiative and making efforts, a person gets an opportunity to become a group leader, which has a positive effect on the formation of personality traits (Bloomgarden). If it comes to competitors, an individual needs to be able or learn to accept the fact that rivals are also participants of the contest. However, everyone should be prepared for the negative factors of competition.

The first thing a participant should pay attention to is the fact that he or she may experience stress during a competition, and it may subsequently negatively affect well-being and productivity. Also, people may begin to experience anxiety both before and during the competition. This problem is most often faced by athletes, as they have to worry about their results (Hanton et al.). One more issue of the competition is that while reaching a goal, a person can be more focused on merely becoming better than someone else and not on developing personal skills and knowledge. Thus, the individual spends more attention on the opponent, rather than on himself or herself. In the case of achieving goals, it is worth considering the pros and cons of the competitive process.

Conclusions

To conclude, it should be said that no process in a person’s life can be too easy. Although during a competition an individual may experience negative emotions, it is also possible to get new knowledge or learn how to commune with strangers. Plus, it is an excellent opportunity to become an emotionally stable individual.

Works Cited

Bloomgarden, Kathy. “Being Competitive: Why It Will Get You Ahead.” Fortune, 12 Apr. 2015, http://fortune.com/2015/04/12/kathy-bloomgarden-staying-motivated/.
Hanton, Sheldon et al. “Management of Competitive Stress in Elite Sport.” Handbook of Sports Medicine and Science, Sport Psychology, 2009, pp. 30-42., doi:10.1002/9781444303650.ch4.
Harrison, Craig. “5 Reasons Why Competition Is Good (and Bad) for Your Child.” AUT Millennium, 14 Feb. 2017, https://news.autmillennium.org.nz/athlete-development/5-reasons-competition/.