Competitiveness

[WittyUsername]

Hi there
this is my first post here. Might as well get to know you guys.

I'm in high school right now (about to get over in a month) and i was preparing for my engineering entrance exams for the last two years.

So these entrances are highly selective as only one in two hundred gets selected. (you must've heard about the education system in India) Anyway there are a lot of people who will kill to get selected but i never felt anything remotely close to that. I never felt that feeling of competitiveness. Wasn't really hungry for top grades for all my school life and never really bothered to be in my teachers' good books. Not that i dont want to get selected or i'm bad at math or science but i never found myself motivated enough to study for eight hours a day (which is the usual for anybody with a solid chance of getting in).

So has the feeling of competition ever motivated or driven you or is it just me?

 

[myexplodingcat]

I like to argue (especially with INTJs, because they pose the biggest challenge). But I'm willing to let it go if it gets out of hand and let them think they've convinced me.

I don't know, competition... hmm. Interesting topic. I don't think I'm that competitive. I'll play, and I'll play to win and make an effort, but winning is the bonus and not the necessity. It's likely (assuming you're INTP), that you weren't "hungry for good grades" because you had better things to do, and the teacher-good-books may just be your non-desire to be social. It sounds like you really want this, though.

I'm pretty sure that the people selecting who is accepted are more concerned about the talent of the applicant than they are about the applicant's competitiveness. If you want this, then you're probably pretty good at it, and that's what matters.

PS: Welcome. I like your username, too. It's witty.

 

[ElvenVeil]

It really depends on what we are talking about .. I never cared about grades in school.. it just never caught my attention.. but if something cathces my attention, and I get challenged on that field, I must admit I go for the win . . and makes winning my highest priority. As soon as victory is inevitable I typically lose interest in the match

Edit: And welcome !

 

[WittyUsername]

^ I can partially relate to you.i like to win too. For me winning is like "solving" the opponent. I get to know his/her weak points and then attack them. I dont think this is competing. I mean its just a matter of time and practice that you'll learn how to beat someone. But my question is - has the sense of competition ever motivated you to "work" or is the feeling completely alien ?

//will elaborate later when i get time.

 

[kantor1003]

But my question is - has the sense of competition ever motivated you to "work" or is the feeling completely alien ?

//will elaborate later when i get time.

When I think about it, competition is what makes me work the hardest. If someone beat me at chess, a random video game, or the likes, I often find myself spending quite an amount of time studying, practicing if only to beat him/her.

It don't apply to school though, it mostly apply to simple'ish games. In general though, my desire to be "best" is pretty strong.

 

[WittyUsername]

^Like i said, you "solved" the problem. I find myself doing that too. But i wonder why is it missing at stuff which i'm supposed to do. The thing is i can study physics or maths to satisfy my fascination with but not to reproduce text on some exam or get high marks. If i get them i doesn't affect me.

But this lack of drive only adds to my reluctance to study, do my homework, complete my assignments etc.

 

[myexplodingcat]

Sometimes I participate in fundraisers just to compete, and the competition means that I'd donate to them more... but I think my interests are more of a motivation than just to compete.

I get decent grades in school because I'm usually able to find SOMETHING interesting in whatever topic I'm working on. Math confuses me, though. My brain has worked in a very math-solving-like way since I was really little (causing my mom to wonder occasionally why I'm so quiet on car rides) and I confuse my own problem-solving with the method being taught. Then I end up playing with the numbers (this plus this is this, but this is this times this, and it can all be separated into this) and it has saved me on many a test over quadratic functions.

The only thing that really drops my grade is the instance when the Science class does an evolution unit, which drives me nuts because I can't make sense of it. I can't just memorize; I have to understand the material, not just remember the "facts." I'm pretty sure you're the same way.

One of the things that possibly measures an INTP's happiness is how well they can find something they're interested in within the topic they're supposed to be learning. Once that happens, they usually end up understanding the entire topic while in search of more facts about the first. Keep this in mind.

 

[WittyUsername]

^Exactly. But thats what i have to do right now. Memorize.

Maybe i'll just convince myself that all this is a mental block and that i'm just finding excuses to not to make an effort. I'll survive a few days.haha.

 

[kantor1003]

^Like i said, you "solved" the problem. I find myself doing that too. But i wonder why is it missing at stuff which i'm supposed to do.

I ask myself the very same thing.

 

[myexplodingcat]

^Exactly. But thats what i have to do right now. Memorize.

Maybe i'll just convince myself that all this is a mental block and that i'm just finding excuses to not to make an effort. I'll survive a few days.haha.

No! You won't forgive yourself.

Put the facts to music, if that's your talent. Shorten up the facts, then arrange them so that they make an acronym, especially if the acronym is something goofy. (Make sure it's something you know how to spell correctly, though.)

How much do you have to memorize? (This question should have been asked a lot earlier.)

Still, find something interesting about them. I still remember that Bruce Jayne was a biologist (during Renaissance, I think) who studied breathing patterns of snakes on treadmills.

How he came up with that, I don't know, but it was probably the random whim of an INTP with either a lot of initiative or a lot of money.

 

[WittyUsername]

No! You won't forgive yourself.

Put the facts to music, if that's your talent. Shorten up the facts, then arrange them so that they make an acronym, especially if the acronym is something goofy. (Make sure it's something you know how to spell correctly, though.)

How much do you have to memorize? (This question should have been asked a lot earlier.)

I'll have to do something on those lines. Wouldn't have really cared to say thanks but i really should.haha

 

[final-dimension]

so true

 

[MasterKaran4u]

So has the feeling of competition ever motivated or driven you or is it just me?

Never . I hate competition , And i feel depressed .
as an INTP , this competition pressure is bad for us , We are more motivated when people leave as alone and shows confidence in us tht yes this guy can do certain thing alone .
We Are not good in competitive environment .

Correct me if I am wrong

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

I don't feel the need to compete, I'm content with simply knowing I'm the best

 

[MasterKaran4u]

I don't feel the need to compete, I'm content with simply knowing I'm the best

Thts what I think

 

[WittyUsername]

Never . I hate competition , And i feel depressed .
as an INTP , this competition pressure is bad for us , We are more motivated when people leave as alone and shows confidence in us tht yes this guy can do certain thing alone .
We Are not good in competitive environment .

Correct me if I am wrong

So true. If only I didn't procrastinate so much my parents could've trusted me.
Whenever I ask them to stop restricting my activities they always say that they wont because they dont trust me to live a balanced life i.e. Study for 4 hours and other stuff for an hour only. I want the exact opposite, maybe more. Hell i'm not even allowed to read any other book except my textbooks and then you want me to toil for a 9 to 5 job? Fuck it.

 

[VroumVroum]

I cannot fail. I won’t study at all during the years. Not under any circumstances. But when examinations are close, I hardly can stop working knowing I wouldn’t succeed. I’ve always been like that. No deadline = no work. Deadline = no sleep.




However, it only works with logical things. Studying by hearth is really hard for me.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I'm motivated more easily by physical challenges(games). I'm not very motivated in abstract interests, but I do like to outsmart people.

 

[kantor1003]

I don't feel the need to compete, I'm content with simply knowing I'm the best

Well, I have to be competitive because just from reading Artsu's comment I really, REALLY, REEEEALLY want to crush his soul in something and prove him wrong. Name an arcade game mr and we'll get to it!

We can set up a wager as well! Either monies (probably hard to find an escrow here though) or a 1000 word post made by the loser about how great the winner is and how bad and pathetic you, as the loser, are :P

Oh, and it doesn't have to be an arcade game. I'm open to suggestions!

 

[warryer]

Kantor, you will see the light one day.

I see myself as the best also so, I challenge you to a written contest in which we list 10 reasons why I ,warryer, am the best. Whoever has the best reasons wins.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

I have found that I don't have many degrees of being competitive. I'm either entirely invested in whatever the task at hand is, or I do not care about it. If I get into a game, I play for keeps. If I get into a fight, I fight to win.

 

[GYX_Kid]

i wonder if extreme competitiveness could literally/basically be considered sadism.
i'd stand for the rights and vengeance of the potential victim, in all cases

 

[kantor1003]

Kantor, you will see the light one day.

I see myself as the best also so, I challenge you to a written contest in which we list 10 reasons why I ,warryer, am the best. Whoever has the best reasons wins.

 

[Architect]

I'm only competitive when I'm not #1.

Sounds like a joke but on consideration it's pretty true. I don't particularly like being competitive, but I dislike playing 2nd fiddle even more. My pattern is to establish myself as the leader and then forget about it. Sometimes that can take years.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I'm only competitive when I'm not #1.

Sounds like a joke but on consideration it's pretty true. I don't particularly like being competitive, but I dislike playing 2nd fiddle even more. My pattern is to establish myself as the leader and then forget about it. Sometimes that can take years.

I can relate. I value accomplishment for the difficulty - the endurance I needed to achieve something. Once I have it, actively securing my reward(i.e. a title) is largely unimportant, until I can't ignore there being competition any longer. The point at which my will manifests once again to accomplish. Inertia.

 

[childish_intellect]

I only compete when I feel the need to squash someone else. Aside from that I don't really partake in such little things like that.

It sounds cruel yes, but sometimes I'm exceptionally bored out of my wits that I would resort to those means.

 

[Jesse]

I am very competitive once I get started. I only do things two ways. With zero interest where I almost intentionally lose or trying my best. Sport is perhaps the only time I get truly angry with people.

 

[Ejno]

I am very competitive once I get started. I only do things two ways. With zero interest where I almost intentionally lose or trying my best. Sport is perhaps the only time I get truly angry with people.

When you say that Sport is the only time you truly get angry with people, is that because you tend to get compeditive when you play Sport or are you saying that you fail to understand the compeditive nature present in other people who play sports?

 

[Magnetosphere]

I'm competitive when it comes to ideas and debate, but that's about it. If I exhibit natural talent in a particular area, naturally I'd like to be among the best in that field (whatever it may be), but I don't go out of my way to prove my "superiority" over others.

Figuring things out for myself has always been my inspiration. If I can master a concept or wrap my head around a difficult system of numbers and logic, I'm happy. I don't need to one-up my peers ti feel good about myself, and I never really have.

Sometimes I get insecure about my intelligence (I took an IQ test once, and got average results, which contradicted all of the praise that had been lathered upon me my entire life - the average score was the result of a very high verbal IQ contrasted with a performance IQ that was one point above the "mentally impaired" cutoff), but that's more my own fault than anything.

 

[GYX_Kid]

I've developed a dry, cutting, unpredictable half-apathetic way of throwing egos in the trash with 10% effort, sort of for emptily sadistic amusement but not even (since it makes it all a joke). It's some kind of midway point between "competitive edge" and "bitch rebel", that blows both two out of the water. In other words it's godly, immortal, and winning. I seek to keep developing it.

I guess it's more like competition's shadow come to play reaper. I think ENTPs like Bugs Bunny and this guy (kudos if you recognize the almost-embarrassing reference)

Spoiler

use this well, and an introverted one would be more dark and icy about it.


If you turn on your wrath switch, you show them that you care, which can be a gamble. But sometimes it's the best way to go too. If you decide to get pissed, go all the way and completely decimate. All or nothing, no other option.

 

[ked]

Competition is still a necessary evil in the word if one wants something better than the average or worse as so many people want the same things and there is generally no better way known of how to give this and that to people when there are more takers than can be given. If one does not compete, one gets down to lowest salaries, worst jobs, worst flats, worst health care, worst everything. One gets the best things only by being smarter, stronger, better looking, more talented. One needs to compete in about every area of life and pick where one wants the most as one can't get it all. Even "against" life we need to compete as there is no success without competition.

 

[CLOfriendOSE]

I don't find myself competetive, but I do have a drive to be the best I can be. In turn, seeing what other people accomplish gives me a benchmark for my own capability relative to experience. My parents take that as competetive, but I see them as very different things.

In fact, I tend to stay away from games (with scores). For example, if I play Super Smash Bros with my BF, we always do infinite time matches (he's an INFP, I'm INTP). I use the stats at the end to analyze how we played and figure out how to improve, but there's no real desire to "beat him". Also, things like Shooters and whatnot really stress me out.

 

[blarg]

I'm competitive only in areas that interest me, and only when I'm going against people who pose a challenge. I'd rather not waste my time trying to beat the crap out of someone when I don't get anything out of it. But when I do get competitive, I go all-out.

 

[Jesse]

I get competitive and when people make mistakes or the umpire does something stupid I get angry or at least frustrated.

 

[pirate]

I am only extremely competitive in sports. Otherwise, I really don't care unless I'm interested in the subject.

 

[xbox]

I dont know what I'm competitive in. I just know that I piss a lot of people off.

 

[Doodle]

Im never openly competitive but i do compete with people without telling them

 

[snafupants]

The only competitive venture I undertake is not overexerting my energies. Pretty serious about that: nothing stands in my way.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

Some university students wanted to debate with me competitively the other night. Took a while for them to realize that they were economically illiterate.

 

[snafupants]

Some university students wanted to debate with me competitively the other night. Took a while for them to realize that they were economically illiterate.

Okay, you're putting this on a tee: did you give them your two cents Proxy?

 

[Don't mind me]

Spoiler

Okay, you're putting this on a tee: did you give them your two cents Proxy?

Proxy's knowledge of economics is so extreme, his two cents are in gold-standard dollars!

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

Okay, you're putting this on a tee: did you give them your two cents Proxy?

I had better things to do like drink and talk to pretty women. I wanted to have some fun rather than talk about intellectual topics all night.

Spoiler

Proxy's knowledge of economics is so extreme, his two cents are in gold-standard dollars!

haha! This has made my day.

 

[slacking]

I'm absolutely not competitive. I don't even understand the point? Why would I care whether or not you're better at something than me. i might care that I'm not as good at something as I want to be, but everyone's else "ranking" means little to me. Frankly, I see the need to compete as fairly juvenile, competitiveness has no relation to character and character is everything in my opinion. If there's one thing I abhor, it's shallowness in a person and what is competitiveness but the shallow desire to define your worth in discrete, small, easy definable ways against the people around you. What great victory is there in this?

I used to work with a guy who never stopped bragging about what a super-competive uber man he was, he even extended this to trying to impress me with how much farther he could throw a rock than me (I shit you not this really happened...we're talking about a grown man with kids here) and how many women wanted him, etc.. Anyway, his wife made more money than him and it distressed him to no end. Apparently, in his primitive ranking system this should not be occuring and it was a real blow to his manhood. He was fairly obsessed reversing their income ranking.

If I described two people to you,
one is
kind, generous, open, honest, understanding and feeling

the other is
sharpminded, greedy, acquisitive, mean, egotistical and self-interested

Which one better fits the competitive personality? Which one would you rather be?