According to David Shenk, achievement has been fueled by ambition to be the best and outdo competitors- and this is one of the reasons why say, "the United States is home to eleven of the fifteen top-rated universities in the world; the entire African continent doesn't even have one university in the top 150" (147). Ever since way back, like during ancient Greek times, the Italian Renaissance, all the way to today, masterpieces were created out of competition to be the most human ideal. Agonism is defined as a competitive spirit that also includes a deep respect and concern for the other to encourage public education, mentorship, and achievement. In today's society, does this still exist? When people compete for jobs, in sports, for college, do they focus the contest as a means to be better or an end to reach? How does this relate to the "learner" concept from in class?
(Mindy Shaw, mindyshaw95@yahoo.com)
Agonism as Shenk defines it -- "key emphasis on contest as a means, not an end [... and] emphasizing the importance of the struggle itself" (148) -- is absolutely still present in today's society, though it is not limited to specific fields or types of competition, instead it is limited by the individual competing.
ReplyDeleteIn the professional world, coming up with new ideas and new methods of achieving goals or accomplishing tasks is seen by many as a means to a promotion or raise. They take pains to "impress the boss" and gain esteem for the end purpose of material gain and will stop their efforts once success has been achieved. These individuals do not exhibit the spirit of agonism and others like them can be found in many different fields as well. In sports they are the graceless victors proclaiming their own glory and the sore losers who may quit after their first failure. They take no pleasure in the game if they do not win. In school they may choose to compete to get into a prestigious university for the bragging rights and the diploma with a world-renowned name on it, or because they think it will lead them to a job that makes a large amount of money. These individuals possess the "student mindset" in academic settings where they are motivated by the prospect of receiving an A over receiving the knowledge that must come in the process. In a class, once the test date has passed, they no longer think about old information, they forget what they have learned because it no longer gives them an immediate advantage to know it. All of these various individuals are engaging in competition for the end goal of personal gain or esteem or advantage.
There is another group of people who in these fields also do not demonstrate the agonistic spirit. They are similar to the previous group in the sense that they measure by end gain, however, in the face of strong adversity this group will not even compete. These individuals possess the "fixed mindset" where they avoid challenges and obstacles "rather than risk failing and negatively impacting their self-image," see effort as pointless and "fruitless," believe that "any criticism of [their] capabilities is criticism of [them]," and "feel threatened by the success of others" (http://michaelgr.com/2007/04/15/fixed-mindset-vs-growth-mindset-which-one-are-you/). In the professional world, these individuals would assert that it is too much effort to work out new ideas or methods because they are not clever enough to be promoted anyway. In sports, they would not probably take advantage of an opportunity to try out a new position with the risk of performing poorly or looking foolish. In school, they will choose to take classes they know they can do well in rather than challenging themselves with a higher level and if they do poorly on an exam compared to a classmate, they will tend toward making excuses along the lines of, "I'm just not as smart as so-and-so." They have a "deterministic view of the world," which means they would likely be supporters of the old G+E model with genes as the predetermined blueprint of the individual's life and development. The dynamic GxE model would intimidate a fixed mindset individual because in their mind it would leave too much responsibility for their own mediocrity directly in their hands.
Kate White (kw2020@gmail.com)
Continued:
ReplyDeleteThe group that does demonstrate agonism in modern society are, whether they realize it or not, in possession of a growth mindset and garner enjoyment and satisfaction simply from the process of challenging themselves and competing, they look at failures as valuable learning opportunities. These are the sort of people who love their jobs; they come up with new ideas because of an enthusiasm for their field or profession and a delight in seeing improvements to it. They are not intimidated or angered by the ideas of others, but have a "mutual admiration" for their colleagues, as Samuel Chambers puts it (Shenk 148). When they play sports, these are the individuals who hold to the idea that "it's not about winning or losing" and simply take joy in participating. In a school environment, they are "learners," meaning that rather than an intense focus on on the grade, they value the understanding of new concepts and material they gain from the class itself. They enjoy challenging themselves and put forth their best efforts because their satisfaction comes from constant self-improvement and think in depth about things they have learned, making connections as they master new concepts. These are the kinds of individuals who would engage in Ericsson's "deliberate practice" of constantly attempting to "reach beyond one's current level" fueled by passion and a never ending resolve to improve(Shenk 66). They are the very picture of the GxE model in their belief that "intelligence [in addition to other skills] can be developed" and "the brain is like a muscle that can be trained;" they find in this understanding a will to improve themselves (http://michaelgr.com/2007/04/15/fixed-mindset-vs-growth-mindset-which-one-are-you/). They are actively taking steps toward environmental influences that activate genes to aid them in their pursuits.
The people in modern society that exhibit agonism are those in possession of a growth mindset determined and enthusiastic about the process of struggle and constant improvement. They exist in many fields and are characterized by their drive and passion. In contrast, those of a fixed mindset of determinism and those only in the race for the prize at the end are present in society too, and perhaps none too coincidentally can often be identified by their lack of joy in their efforts and misery in their struggles.
Kate White (kw2020@gmail.com)