Is competitiveness genetic or learnt?
“I’m just competitive it doesn’t matter what it is. I want to win.” – Alyson Felix
But is this statement true for everyone. Competitiveness is in every aspect of life and is something we all feel at some point in our lives. But is this feeling learnt or is it something we’re born with. We all know at least one of those so-called “born competitors”. She’s the classmate who always has the highest mark in all the tests and he’s the friend who always has the newest pair of shoes. We’ve all experiences this at some point.
I personally consider myself to be competitive. I like to win. I play sport at a high level for my country and I believe, to achieve this you need to be competitive. This carries through into …show more content…
For instance a person like Caitlyn who I believe displays the openness trait. Caitlyn competes in dancing and is more confident because of the things she has learnt, this in turn allows her to participate easily in group activities.
So, is competitiveness genetic? As a singular trait, probably not. However, the models and theories of personality certainly suggest that competitive people were born with a unique physical make-up. I personally consider myself to be a quiet, shy person however I believe I have the unique trait of competitiveness. Could this therefore be MY unique physical make-up?
There have also been studies completed by Dr Hillman and Dr Bilkey from Otago University. They devised a test involving rats to establish if the neurons in the frontal region of the brain were responsible for the rats competitiveness. The test included a choice of 2 options, option A which had a small but easily achievable reward or option B which although it provides the prospect of a larger reward, required the rat to compete against a peer. They found that the rats frontal region neurons became more active when competitive scenarios like option B were considered & …show more content…
But I believe that this test also has a lack of clarity to prove this. However it does show that part of a humans competitiveness is learnt but also shows that there’s a part of competitiveness which comes genetically. Which once again supports my previous opinions.
Clearly there is evidence which supports both sides of the argument, which only leads to the conclusion that competitiveness relies on both genetic make up and skills learnt over time. This also proves that there is no right or wrong answer, and so supports my personal opinion. I believe that competitiveness comes from personality traits from genetic backgrounds and also in order to further your competitiveness some skills in relation to the competition need to be learnt. But one thing that is proven is that competitiveness is in all of us and will be for the rest of our lives, just in different degrees or traits.
Remember one thing “If you continuously compete with others you become bitter, but if you continuously compete with yourself, you become better!
“I’m just competitive it doesn’t matter what it is. I want to win.” – Alyson Felix
But is this statement true for everyone. Competitiveness is in every aspect of life and is something we all feel at some point in our lives. But is this feeling learnt or is it something we’re born with. We all know at least one of those so-called “born competitors”. She’s the classmate who always has the highest mark in all the tests and he’s the friend who always has the newest pair of shoes. We’ve all experiences this at some point.
I personally consider myself to be competitive. I like to win. I play sport at a high level for my country and I believe, to achieve this you need to be competitive. This carries through into …show more content…
For instance a person like Caitlyn who I believe displays the openness trait. Caitlyn competes in dancing and is more confident because of the things she has learnt, this in turn allows her to participate easily in group activities.
So, is competitiveness genetic? As a singular trait, probably not. However, the models and theories of personality certainly suggest that competitive people were born with a unique physical make-up. I personally consider myself to be a quiet, shy person however I believe I have the unique trait of competitiveness. Could this therefore be MY unique physical make-up?
There have also been studies completed by Dr Hillman and Dr Bilkey from Otago University. They devised a test involving rats to establish if the neurons in the frontal region of the brain were responsible for the rats competitiveness. The test included a choice of 2 options, option A which had a small but easily achievable reward or option B which although it provides the prospect of a larger reward, required the rat to compete against a peer. They found that the rats frontal region neurons became more active when competitive scenarios like option B were considered & …show more content…
But I believe that this test also has a lack of clarity to prove this. However it does show that part of a humans competitiveness is learnt but also shows that there’s a part of competitiveness which comes genetically. Which once again supports my previous opinions.
Clearly there is evidence which supports both sides of the argument, which only leads to the conclusion that competitiveness relies on both genetic make up and skills learnt over time. This also proves that there is no right or wrong answer, and so supports my personal opinion. I believe that competitiveness comes from personality traits from genetic backgrounds and also in order to further your competitiveness some skills in relation to the competition need to be learnt. But one thing that is proven is that competitiveness is in all of us and will be for the rest of our lives, just in different degrees or traits.
Remember one thing “If you continuously compete with others you become bitter, but if you continuously compete with yourself, you become better!