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Competitiveness is widely assumed to be a crucial personal characteristic. From my perspective, while this quality can serve as a motivation for self-development, it brings about stress for people. Therefore, this status quo can be both beneficial and detrimental.

Competitive spirit pushes people to work harder and reach their full potential. When everyone around them is striving to get ahead, individuals may feel compelled to put in extra effort so as not to fall behind. Therefore, they can unlock abilities they never knew they had. A primary example of this is the preparation for university entrance exams. Many students tend to throw themselves into studying hard just because their peers also do that, which therefore helps them broaden their knowledge and leads to better career paths. Moreover, competitiveness is the motivation for development in every field, especially in commerce. Companies and organizations have to invent and innovate continuously to produce better products than their rivals, therefore attracting customers and maximizing income. As a result, it brings about high-quality services for society as well as meets the higher demands of the market, which fosters economic and social development.

However, a competitive environment often pushes people into extreme stress since they cannot work at their own pace but have to keep working to keep up with others. Working excessively can lead not only to mental breakdown, which will discourage people's determination, but also result in numerous health issues as they have to spend more time working. For example, besides the better quality of university entrance exams, teenagers tend to spend most of their time studying without having enough rest, which leads to both mental and physical health problems. Furthermore, being pushed under the pressure of competing undermines collaboration, which is an indispensable factor in the contemporary working environment. When everyone is determined to outshine their colleagues, they become reluctant to share ideas and knowledge, which may weaken team performance while major breakthroughs nowadays primarily rely on collective effort rather than individual brilliance.

In conclusion, competitiveness influences people in many ways, such as promoting development or causing numerous negative effects on both individuals and society. Competitive spirit is not entirely beneficial or harmful, since it depends on how we utilise this trend to maximize the advantages and minimize its knock-on effects.