The setting of individual goals relates to achievement incentive and to standards for detennining success. Some people strive for achievement and others do not. How well we rate our achievement relates to relative standards of comparison as well as to some absolute standard. Thus, some people who'rate well by external standards may feel themselves failures by their own internal standards. From studies of a wide variety of college students one important conclusion has come which says in effect: "When the individual does not know his own capabilities, he looks to some external peer group for a standard, but when the individual has experience in some effort, he tends to judge his own perfonnance by his own capacity." Some people like to set their own standards, for example, artists. Scientists, on the other hand, although they have clear internal standards of excellence, must also be judged by the scientific community. We know also that some well-adjusted people have a high drive to get ahead; other equally well-adjusted people may not have a high need for achievement. Thus again we need to emphasize individuality in personality and in the development of life-styles.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Need for Achievement
The setting of individual goals relates to achievement incentive and to standards for detennining success. Some people strive for achievement and others do not. How well we rate our achievement relates to relative standards of comparison as well as to some absolute standard. Thus, some people who'rate well by external standards may feel themselves failures by their own internal standards. From studies of a wide variety of college students one important conclusion has come which says in effect: "When the individual does not know his own capabilities, he looks to some external peer group for a standard, but when the individual has experience in some effort, he tends to judge his own perfonnance by his own capacity." Some people like to set their own standards, for example, artists. Scientists, on the other hand, although they have clear internal standards of excellence, must also be judged by the scientific community. We know also that some well-adjusted people have a high drive to get ahead; other equally well-adjusted people may not have a high need for achievement. Thus again we need to emphasize individuality in personality and in the development of life-styles.
