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Write an essay on whether competition is good or bad. Your essay must be between
450-600 words and follow the APA style for paper formatting, references, and in-text
citation. Please refer to the attached sample. Your essay must use a minimum of three
references (and appropriate in-text citations) from the following list.
Source 1: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0191886995000355
Source 2: https://www.verywellfamily.com/competition-among-kids-pros-and-cons-
4177958
Source 3: https://www.peakendurancesport.com/endurance-psychology/mental-
drills/prevent-competition-anxiety-nerves-getting-better/
Source 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm-jHatFYc8
Source 5: https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/02/08/should-home-
schoolers-play-for-the-high-school-team/competition-is-a-good-thing
Source 6: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/06/opinion/students-competition-
unions-bargaining.html
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Your Name

Faculty Name

ENG 105 Section XX Commented [RA1]: Your name, followed by instructor’s

name and section number

Competition is Necessary
Competition is omnipresent - you face challenges at school, work, society, and
even at home with family. It may be something as simple as a friendly race or a high
stakes promotion. Whatever the case is, people often wonder if challenging oneself is
Commented [RA2]: Title is centered, not bold. As you can
see, font size is 12 pt. You should use standard fonts, such as
Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, or Cambria.
Beyond this, first lines of each paragraph should be
indented. Paragraphs should also be double spaced.
Commented [RA3]: Introduction offers brief background
details.

such a positive thing. Competition is most definitely useful as it helps you realize a

better version of yourself. Commented [RA4]: The last sentence of the introduction
is the claim.

Lack of competition clearly leads to stagnation. When you have no competition,

you have no one to compare yourself against, not knowing whether you are doing well

or not. You will become complacent, never pushing yourself to do better. For example,

you run a successful business with the closest competitor years behind you. Without a

rival, you will begin to lose focus, leading to decreased productivity and a depressing

outlook for the future (GetPsyched, 2018). Having a competitor around will lead to Commented [R5]: First in-text citation. It indicates that
the information presented in the sentence is taken from an
external source. By reading the citation you’ll be able to find
improvements and a problem-solving mindset. it in the references page.

It is not just stagnation that competition contends with. Facing healthy

competition requires effort to achieve the desired result, which leads to people pushing

their limits. By overcoming such obstacles, you can become psychologically stronger. It

also helps develop stress resistance and leads to increased creativity. Finally, it helps

give people a sense of purpose and self, among many other positive qualities. Franken

and Brown (1995) found in a study that “competition motivates [people] to put forth
Commented [RA6]: Second in-text citation. This one uses
the greater effort that can result in high levels of performance” (para 1) both
a signal phrase and a quotation, so we need to mention the
paragraph number.
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psychologically and physically. Those with competitive streaks have greater mental and

physical resilience and tenacity, never giving up in the face of great odds. It was also

found that competition helps people “encourage others and develop empathy… and

circumvent the desire to quit or give up when things get tough” (Gordon, 2019, para 9). Commented [RA7]: Another in-text citation. This one
doesn’t use a signal phrase.

At the same time, many argue that facing competition or having a competitive You’ll notice that both quotations are used to support the
author’s point. They are used with context. You’ll need to do
the same. Make a point and back it up with a quotation from
mindset can result in anxiety that negatively affects personal well-being and an external source.

productivity. The stress can be traced to the fear of failure, which is a very valid Commented [RA8]: This is the counterargument
paragraph. You’ll need to take a point from the opposing
side and show a weakness in it. You can use an external
concern. Most people fear failure rather than competition, which leads to a lot of tension source here, too.

and internal conflict. And yet, competition encourages overcoming this fear. Graham

Jones, a sport psychologist, theorized that athletes with performance anxiety achieve

higher performance as they get elevated heart rates and secrete even more sweat, both

of which contribute to efficiency (Hamilton, n.d.). He notes that successful athletes take

their competitive nature in stride, focusing their anxiety towards overcoming odds. This

idea is not just limited to athletes; regular people can use their anxiety to do better in

whatever challenges they face. In essence, it is a cycle of fear and achievement, with

each needing the other for success.

In short, competition is good, whether you are a company, athlete, or average Commented [RA9]: The conclusion should be brief and
summarize the main points you’ve made. Do not introduce
anything new here.
person going about their day. Competition stops one from stagnating, pushing them to

innovate and do better than before. It also helps give one a sense of purpose in life and a

better understanding of their limits. Plus, it helps them overcome anxiety, using it to

face their challenges better.

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References Commented [R10]: This page lists all the sources used in
the essay. Title should be centered.

Franken, R. & Brown, D. J. (1995). Why do people like competition? The motivation for

winning, putting forth effort, improving one’s performance, performing well,

being instrumental, and expressing forceful/aggressive behavior [Abstract].

Personality and Individual Differences, 19(2), 175-184. Retrieved from

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0191886995000355 Commented [R11]: References should be laid out in

alphabetical order. They should also be double-spaced and
have hanging indentation.
GetPsyched. (2018, April 23). The psychology of competitiveness – What psychology

says about competitiveness [Video file]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm-jHatFYc8

Gordon, S. (2019, June 25). Pros and cons of competition among kids and teens. Verywell

Family. Retrieved from https://www.verywellfamily.com/competition-among-

kids-pros-and-cons-4177958

Hamilton, A. (n.d.). How to prevent competition anxiety and nerves from getting the

better of you. Peak Performance. Retrieved from

https://www.peakendurancesport.com/endurance-psychology/mental-

drills/prevent-competition-anxiety-nerves-getting-better/