Competitiveness as a Value Competitiveness as a

Competitiveness as a Value Competitiveness as a human value is a hotly debated matter. There are many parents, teachers, and social scientists that would argue that it is a negative feature in one's personality arsenal while there will be individuals from the same sector of society that would adopt the opposite view. Where one finds himself in this debate is likely very indicative of the nature of his personality and how he approaches relationships and conflict in his life and which direction he tends to take in his career.

Regardless of one's attitude about competition and being competitive, the reality is that we live in a world that is highly competitive. Disputing this as a reality is difficult. This spirit of competitiveness transcends not only the human race but is present throughout all levels of the animal kingdom. In animals, this spirit of competitiveness is instinctual. Most humans prefer to believe that instincts are limited to other animals but it is entirely possible that competitiveness is instinctual in humans as well.

The fact that we possess higher degrees of intelligence, the ability to reason, and a finely developed system of morals and ethics allow us to place some control on our level of instinctual behavior but there is substantial evidence that human beings are as competitive as any other member of the animal kingdom. Competition is what drives humans to achieve. It drives them to attempt to improve their lives and reach for things that they would not ordinarily have available for them.

It makes them want to break through barriers and reach heights that were once thought unreachable. Flying to the moon, breaking the four-minute mile in racing, motorized vehicles were all things accomplished through the exercise of competition. Without the desire to accomplish something new and to beat someone else to the goal of doing it, what would be the driving force? The concept of being competitive has taken on a negative connotation in recent years as if being competitive is something to be avoided.

Those taking this point-of-view are being critical of how certain competitive individuals deal with the failures that sometimes accompany being competitive and not the underlying drive that forms the nature of being competitive. Humans have the capacity to learn how to deal with disappointment. The ability to learn how to win and lose and how to act appropriately in both situations is what allows competitiveness to be a healthy value.

The desire to win is what drives us forward but the ability to realize that not achieving everything that we set out to do does not diminish a human being's true value. Achievement is important but it must be viewed in terms of the entire human condition. If winning becomes the goal despite the cost then competitiveness has become a negative concept. Competition must be done within the confines of a solid set of morals and ethics.

If exercised within the confines of a moral system it is a positive but once the dictates of that system are ignored it can, and often does, become a negative quality. Competition and the desire to compete are positive values that must.