Competition vs. Cooperation

Cooperation or competition which is better? That is a big question and I’m sure many people would have a great deal to say about this subject but it’s my blog and I get to tell you what I think. I guess that decision that is up to the type of person that you are and what you are trying to accomplish. Whether it’s an elite sports team or a grade 9 physical education class there will always be the two aspects contradicting each other.

Some people believe that cooperation is the best avenue to take because it increases social aspects within a group that provides a greater atmosphere for learning. I do believe that cooperation is very important to the growth and development of people at any age because it focuses on the recognition of your strengths and weaknesses with in a group setting that provides you necessary life skills that are useful to accomplish any objectives that you are faced with. Cooperation means working together to make it happen and I strongly believe that cooperation can be a great way to get people to interact with each other to achieve a common goal. Competition on the other hand, some say “is the royal road to success”( Freud) that makes people in to stronger more striving people to accomplish their goals ahead of everyone else. I believe that competition is very necessary because it makes people push for greater things and not just mediocrity. This mediocrity could potentially happen when there are more people within a group cooperation setting, when the work is spread out among a few people and one person decides that he can ride the coattails of the other group members and not do any of the work. Competition on the flipside is more of an intrinsic motivator and that makes the individual only responsible for his or her own work or performance that can build self esteem and other benefits but can also create negative aspects such as the extrinsic motivation in the form of coaches or parents that are obsessed with winning. This thrust forward of competition and  of others trying to do the same, gives  a healthy fight to these people to become better at the skills they need to achieve their goals... but to a certain point. When competition become too much from parents and coaches pushing their kids to perform to a higher level, it creates more of a negative impact. It creates potential health issues due to abnormal amounts of stress put on them to perform and they develop a resentment to those who push them too hard that they either quit or get injured.

I believe that cooperation and competition are very necessary for any aspects of life and can be great together if there is the ability for a healthy balance. Unfortunately some time people are so blinded by the fact of victory and increased performance that they lose perspective on that balance and it can create more damage than good.