Is Competition Over Emphasized In American Society

Question

OPTION A: COOPERATION VS. COMPETITION
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
Competition is everywhere in our daily lives. It begins from the day we are born until the day we die. Competition is just another word for challenge.

When we treat competition as the defining aspect of equality, society has become overly concerned with people being offended or feelings getting hurt. Life is hard and unforgiving at times, but we must learn to adapt and overcome, this is how we learn to grow. The concept of having a life free from the emotions we don’t particularly enjoy is an absolute detrimental fantasy. Winning or losing at something doesn’t define you as a human being, it may define your skills or talents, but you are more than simply the sum of your

For instance, I am a competition dancer. Going to different competitions you can see the differences in the way the dancers, teachers, judges, and moms view outcomes. The teachers just want you to do your best because no matter the placement received you had fun. When you are on a team, you want your team as a whole group to compete with other teams not each other. You see this with other sports too, such as baseball, basketball, soccer, etc. where kids try to outperform their teammates. This poses risks such as “loss of self-esteem, injuries… increased stress.” (Berger, pg. 245, 2014) However Active play and competition do not only pose risks they contribute to the following as well “Better overall health, less obesity… respect for teammates and opponents.” (Berger, pg. 245, 2014)
If we did not fail or lose how could we learn to value or appreciate success/winning? What would we work towards, strive for or struggle with if we won all the time? What would motivate or drive us to do better or want better for ourselves if there was no concept of competition? If we are only recognized for attendance or participation because there is nothing beyond what’s actually handed to us, then all of society would come to a screeching halt. It goes beyond childhood, we are shaping the society for the future