Matthew is calm during exams and works hard on all school assignments-even when assignments are not going to be graded. However, his girlfriend, Maria, tends to have high feelings of anxiety in evaluative situations (especially when dealing with new information) and often performs poorly because of this anxiety. Discuss the underlying issues you think are most likely causing these two behavioral profiles and how these issues are related. Also, why do you think Mathew and Maria have developed these idiosyncrasies? Focus on parenting issues rather than on issues related to Matthew and Maria's gender or their peers.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The extent to which an individual strives for success is referred to as his or her achievement motivation. Need for achievement is an intrinsically motivated (or "mastery motivated") desire to perform well that operates even in the absence of external rewards for success. A student who works hard on an assignment that is not going to be graded probably has a strong achievement motivation. As such, Matthew probably scores high in achievement motivation. All other factors being equal, Matthew is probably more likely to succeed than his peers who may try less. According to research, Matthew probably comes from a family in which his parents have set high performance standards, have rewarded achievement success during childhood, and have encouraged autonomy and independence. Equally important, however, is the fact that his training for achievement and independence probably took place in the context of a warm parent-child relationship in which Matthew most likely formed a close relationship with his parents. Authoritative parenting, coupled with his parents' encouragement of success, is probably the most important contributor to Matthew's strong achievement motivation.

On the other hand, Maria probably suffers from a high fear of failure. This fear, which is often manifested in feelings of anxiety during tests or in other evaluative situations, can interfere with successful performance. This is often the case in situations in which the task involves learning something new or solving a complex problem-like what Maria is experiencing. Maria's behavior is consistent with those who are high in fear of failure. Maria probably comes from a family environment in which her parents have set unrealistically high standards for her achievement and react very negatively to failure (rather than simply reacting positively to success). An adolescent's achievement motivation and her or his fear of failure work together to pull the individual toward (or repel the individual from) achievement situations. Individuals with a relatively strong achievement motivation and a relatively weak fear of failure are more likely to actively approach challenging achievement situations-by taking more difficult classes, for example-and to look forward to them. In contrast, those whose fear of failure is relatively intense and whose achievement motivation is relatively weak will dread challenging situations and do what they can to avoid them. Many students who have trouble persisting at tasks and who fear failure become underachievers. In other words, their grades are far lower than one would expect based on their intellectual ability.

Key Points:

a) Matthew is probably high in achievement motivation.

b) Achievement motivation is the extent to which individuals strive for success. It is often related to authoritative parenting.

c) Maria is probably high in fear of failure.

d) Fear of failure is the fear of the consequences of failing in achievement situations. It is often related to parents having unrealistically high standards for achievement and reacting very negatively to failure.