DOES COMPETITION MOTIVATE A CHILD
TO PERFORM BETTER?
Motivation,
drawing the attention or attitudes of the person to do something as desired, is
of two kinds – extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is that which is
driven by the external hanker: when we work hard to achieve the prize, reward
or grade. It has short term effect which doesn’t last for anymore unless backed
upon by something intrinsic motivation. On other hand intrinsic motivation is
derived for self - satisfaction and pleasure which is long lasting and provides
more creativity and leads for self-actualization which is not limited for some
tangible achievement. Competition within others is the extrinsic motivation,
the motivation that is short-term, in-effectual and frigid.
To
begin with, the intrinsic motivations derived from within own self has the long
term good effect. The kids could build the motivation till to achieve the goal.
As far as I remember when I was in class 3 at my school life, my teacher made
the competition for we student to imitate 5 pages of the writing of book with
showing the reward of a ‘Dairy Milk’, a very sweet chocolate. At the start up I
was so enthusiast in the competition however I gave up very soon. Although I liked
to get the reward that was not enough for making fond doing such activity which
was annoying for me. At that time I decided that the reward was not worth the
torture. Only few of my friends who enjoyed in writing completed the
competition. Here, only the fancy of chocolate can’t drive me up to the end.
That’s why completion with others on extrinsic motivation has short term effect
and that can’t make the positive change in kids.
Furthermore,
while competing with others, there forms the reference of level as well as kind
of defined subject matters of competition. As a result, there occurs the lack
of creativity and self-actualization. The kids have to be forced to do whatever
directed in the field in which they may be unaware or uninterested which
results the poor yield. Let make a remembrance of the work of Wright brothers,
A. Einstein and Newton. The way in which they showed their feat in their interested
realm that were chosen themselves made them the best of all, was the result of
intrinsic motivation rather than extrinsic motivation. With this in mind, the
competition with others results more fruitless achievement.
Moreover,
in the competition only one is winner with knocking somebody out. Winning
doesn’t build the character; it just lets the child gloat temporarily. While
talking about this I remember about the incidence that I myself have
experienced, when I was in the age of 12, I have two close friends. Both were
very talent. On the occasion of parents’ day, a fete about get together of
parents in school, the school organized a sport competition. Both were very
close friends till the competition. After the competition one of the friends
won the game other one came of worse. The friend who won the game boast his
wining that made the other very forlorn. Henceforth, friendship turned into
foes and the prospective friendship was nipped in the bud. In order that, competition
with others makes the relationship flimsy and often worsen that leads the termination.
Given
these point, I conclude that the extrinsic motivation, competition to others,
can’t motivate the kids in the advantageous way neither the long-lasting. Such
motivation can’t value the potentiality of the individual kids too. The
competition makes the relationship of the competitor weak who were nigh of
them. Participating in the competition doesn’t result the success, success is
the result of the capability and assiduity for which self-motivation or
self-competition is important.
