Competitiveness is defined as “Having or displaying a strong desire to be more successful than others.” (Google) But competitiveness is much more complex than that, it can stem from many sources and psychological notions. People can be competitive for many reasons depending on their experiences and personalities, one example being a drive to be more successful than others. There are many factors that contribute to why people are competitive, how competitive they are, and which subjects they are competitive in.

There are many elements that can explain why people are competitive, but some of these elements are much more common than others. Some of the most frequent reasons why people are competitive consist of compulsive desire to win, sex, and personal life/personality. Competitive people feel like they need to win to prove a point or to show off; it’s a matter of animalistic instinct and dominance, they have to proof that they are the strongest. This is why men are usually more competitive than women, testosterone drives them to try and show dominance and outperform others. It is scientifically proven that women are more oriented towards being on a team and cooperating with others, while men are more oriented at working individually and therefore are more competitive and less likely to be cooperative with others (DailyMail). Testosterone also varies with age, when you are in your twenties you are at your peak level of testosterone and as you get older it begins to decline. Therefore, younger people are more likely to be competitive and strive to show dominance. In addition it depends on their personality and background, 2knowmyself states that people who are most competitive are usually very ambitious and/or a younger sibling. Younger siblings are said to be more competitive because they feel like they are the most inferior member of their family, because of that they feel the need to outperform others to prove they are not inferior. Ambitious people are said to be competitive because they have a drive to succeed no matter the subject; they are in a state of constant need for success and in their eyes enough is never enough. People are competitive for a variety of reasons depending on their age, sex, and personality.

If you have ever been to any type of professional sports game you will know that there are different levels of competitiveness in people. Competitiveness doesn’t just reside on the field and in the players it also resides within the fans and viewers. For example, the Oakland Raiders have one of the craziest fanbases in the world; their games are described by TheSportster as looking like “a halloween convention” and the fans are “the most intimidating, wild and raucous band of supporters you’ll find anywhere in the world.” How competitive people are depends on their personality and how passionate they are about the subject. For example people who are competitive sports players or fans probably aren’t as competitive about something such as math, and vice versa. It depends on the upbringing and the childhood that you had, ideas or habits that are reinforced during childhood tend to stay with you for most of your life. People that you knew intimately when you were a kid such as parents or close friends could affect your personality and identity.

People can be competitive in practically any subject, it really depends on the person’s personality and skills. Depending on what they are good at or what they enjoy they will be competitive in different subjects. Generally people who are good at something will be competitive in that subject because they want to show off and prove their skills through competition. This again goes back to the concept of dominance and this compulsive need to be the best. Another big factor that can determine what subjects people are most competitive in is role models; role models and celebrities can greatly influence people’s passion for a certain subject. For instance say there is a kid who loves Michael Jordan, this kid is absolutely obsessed, he has Michael Jordan t-shirts, posters, notebooks, everything; he watches every one of Jordan’s games, and because of this he develops a great passion for basketball as a whole. He begins playing for the Varsity team at his high school and eventually gets into the NBA. None of this would have happened if this kid hadn’t looked up to Jordan so much and wanted to be like him. Role models can have huge impacts on the passions and interests of people and determine which subjects they care about enough to be competitive.

In conclusion, competitiveness is a complex psychological drive to perform better than others which occurs for a variety of reasons including age, sex, and personality. Depending on how passionate people are about a subject can determine how competitive they are in it. The subjects that people are more competitive in can be determined by their personality and possibly outside influences such as role models who affect their interests. There are many factors that contribute to why people are competitive, how competitive they are, and which subjects they are competitive in.