RECD: April 2025C

Background

This is a pilot of an experimental manipulation of global CWV.

HIGH CWV CONDITION:

Think of a time when acting and thinking competitively helped you succeed.

This should be a situation where you saw other people as the competition and enemies, where you didn’t trust or rely on them, and where you focused on making sure you alone got ahead. It could be a time that felt cut-throat, like a competitive jungle.

In this situation, acting competitively would have been the appropriate and reasonable thing to do.

Description: In a few sentences, please describe this situation and how you thought and behaved. How did your competitive action and thinking help you succeed?

Reflection: It’s likely that the competitive dynamics in the situation you described can be found in some or many other situations.
In a few sentences, please describe some other situations where you might find or see similar kinds of competitive thoughts and behaviors.

LOW CWV CONDITION:

Think of a time when acting and thinking cooperatively helped you and others succeed.

This should be a situation where you saw other people as allies and supporters, where you could trust and rely on them, and where you focused on making sure everyone got ahead. It could be a time that felt collaborative, like everyone working together.

In this situation, acting cooperatively would have been the appropriate and reasonable thing to do.

Description: In a few sentences, please describe this situation and how you thought and behaved. How did your cooperative action and thinking help you succeed?

Reflection: It’s likely that the cooperative dynamics in the situation you described can be found in some or many other situations.
In a few sentences, please describe some other situations where you might find or see similar kinds of cooperative thoughts and behaviors.

Post-manipulation, measures were shown in the following order: (1) shortened and randomized: relationship expectancies of dominance AND influence expectancies of dominance; (2) self-reported hypothetical dominance; (3) CWV; and (4) relationship concerns.

Eligibility

Let’s see who passed the attention check

is_elg	N	Perc
0	10	4.93
1	193	95.07

That gives us a total of 193 eligible participants.

Demographics

Race

race	N	Perc
asian	11	5.70
black	21	10.88
hispanic	13	6.74
multiracial	13	6.74
white	129	66.84
NA	6	3.11

Gender

gender	N	Perc
man	84	43.52
woman	107	55.44
NA	2	1.04

Age

age_mean	age_sd
36.45026	11.25851

Education

edu	N	Perc
GED	44	22.80
2yearColl	18	9.33
4yearColl	90	46.63
MA	35	18.13
PHD	6	3.11

Income

Measures

Open responses

Description

cond	desc
low	I had a group project for my business presentations class, and we all worked together to be creative and come up with unique ideas to pitch to General Mills.
low	I run an annual event for 100+ people and rely on fellow board members to help get everything done. Everybody gets a job and we have specific times (planned a year in advance) to update on our portion of the event (food, equipment rental, schedule, etc). Getting everyone’s perspective while each individual person is an expert in their area helps us succeed
high	In high school I played on the basketball team. It was always very competitive to make the team and I viewed younger or new students that wanted to play as threats to my spot on th e team. I did whatever I needed to to work hard enough to keep my spot on the team.
high	I once interviewed for a job where we were expected to compete with other potential hires for a chance to be offered the position. We had to pitch ourselves and also critique the other potential candidates. I did my best to elevate myself and provide valid criticism without coming across as offensive or boastful.
high	I’ve competed in chess competitions since I was a child, a this competitive action and thinking helped me succeed since it pushed me out of my comfort zone and really urged me to put my all into something that I would have otherwise done partially. Going past my usual basic steps and pushing myself to think further and concentrate harder is something that took a great deal of effort, but it was something that allowed me to develop important career skills. I’m able to have a greater attention to detail and a high degree of long-term focus, and I’m now fantastic at problem-solving and critical thinking!
low	There were a lot of orders in the window ready to go out and a lot of servers were busy so me and anyone else would run each others food when we had the chance so we all got it done in a timely manner.
high	Well I always think competitively because I believe it really helps me channel my energy into doing what I really want, I was working on a project with my team-mate and I thought competitively which made me deliver a very scalable project in a very reasonable period of time
low	We were tasked with making a poster to explain a passage we had read at a recent training. I trusted the others to do their part with explaining, writing, and designing the poster. We collaborated to make sure we made a good end product.
high	I remembered a time that we were working on team project. There was another team trying to work harder than us, my team and I had to work even ore harder to receive the price because we really deserve it. At the end, we received it.
low	When a big decision was looming I found it was best to talk it through to come to a unified decision. I presented the situation and offered option a and option b, playing devil’s advocate. After much discussion a unified decision was reached.
low	I was in nursing school, and my group was assigned a project. We needed to divide the tasks and determine how best to utilize our individual skills. We agreed to meet every day after class to discuss and complete the project. Even though we were not friends, we had a similar goal and thus worked well as a group.
high	The situation would be where I am up for a promotion with a few other people. I would make sure that I worked harder and completed projects on time or early, and did a better job on them than my competition. I think this helped me to succeed in getting the promotion over others who were less willing to work hard.
low	Behaving cooperatively helped me to experience kindness and future assistance in my workplace. In that scenario, I was lucky to experience group collaboration and cooperation. Everyone instinctively wanted others to succeed. I felt that we were all “in it” together, and it was a great working environment.
low	We had an issue arise at work so I got my entire team on a call. I delegated work to others to research different files while I focused on another file so we could solve the issue faster than just one person looking in multiple folders for different sets of data. By working together the fire was solved in a timely manner so the impact to our processing areas was much shorter.
low	I cooperated at work with my work team on a new project. Everyone on the team did a great job of volunteering for different roles that were suited to them so each of us could contribute to the greater goal. This workgroup helped everyone involved be included on an important new initiative for the company. I think by working together and relying on everyone’s strength, we were able to share the workload and get the work done more efficiently and effectively.
low	Recently we ran into some issues at work where one of our clients had forgotten to request a report be created until the last day it was due. Given the data pull was more then a day or two of work I suggested we split it up into 4 chunks, and between me and 3 of my coworkers we were able to design, qa and deploy a large data pull in under one day of work. While it was stressful and seemed like it wasn’t really our responsibility, I figured if we delivered something amazing last minute it would buy us tons of credit with our client.
low	I had to work with a team to brainstorm a new webpage. We had a long meeting, maybe 3 hours, where we just went back and forth with different ideas. We built off each others ideas, tweaked them, discarded them, and by the end, the webpage looked pretty good. It was encouraging to work as a team and honestly the meeting didn’t feel too long. Without all of us contributing, we probably would’ve missed a lot.
low	In a school project, we allocated tasks according to individual strength, maintained open communication, and provided mutual support. This collaboration resulted in a successful presentation and deepened our friendship.
low	A memorable experience occurred during a college group project focused on developing a presentation about climate change solutions. Rather than strictly dividing the tasks, we began with an initial brainstorming session to exchange ideas and discuss our strengths. I encouraged everyone to express their thoughts openly, making sure all voices were heard and fostering a sense of trust among us. I took on the task of managing the research, while others focused on design and delivering the presentation. We ensured constant communication by sharing updates and feedback throughout the project. This collaborative method not only made our efforts more efficient but also enabled each member to deliver their best work. In the end, our presentation was well-received, earning us high marks and highlighting how cooperation and mutual support are key to success.
high	Competitive action and thinking helped me succeed in this situation because I was motivated to win. This helped me to see all the angles of the choices I could make to win the competition. This helps me think through scenarios to get the best resolutions in order to win the competition and succeed at the task.
low	A couple of weeks ago we taught a spring break camp for which we had not had adequate time to prepare and which had enrollment basically double the day before it started. What was supposed to be a team of three became a team of five, and we were all able to improvise and riff and just go along with whatever a colleague said. We changed plans on the fly and covered each other’s needs and shortfalls by all being willing to just say yes and do whatever it took to keep the wheels on. It was an exhausting week but the kids all had a great time.
high	There was a management position open at my company.I had less tenure than some of the favorites but I ad the experience they did not have. I came up with an idea that would generate revenue that was tabled a few years before & somehow it was assigned to one of the favorites to manage. I made a point of expressing that it was my idea and ensured it succeeded. It was to the benefit of the company and I ultimately got the promotion.
high	I used to play soccer and I would have to be competitive and work well with my teammates to win games and succeed
low	I worked for a company that changed locations. It took a lot of team work for us all to work together to move everything to a different location. I helped organize and create a flow to complete the move smoothly.
low	Its important to maintain group harmony in order to protect the people in it. I stopped my friend from acting erratically against another friend
low	In a college group project, our team encountered a tight deadline for developing a presentation. To address this challenge, I suggested we assign tasks according to each member’s strengths: one person concentrated on research, another took charge of design, and someone else focused on writing. I emphasized the importance of open communication and encouraged regular check-ins to create an environment where everyone could comfortably share ideas and solve any issues together. This collaborative effort resulted in a well-organized presentation enriched by diverse insights, earning us high marks. By emphasizing teamwork, we not only met our objective but also enhanced our skills for future projects.
high	I think the last time a competitive action, as described, helped me succeed, would have been a few years ago in college. I had an apartment with about 7 other roommates and we decided to have a competition to see who would have the best GPA of the semester. The worst GPA had to do dishes for an entire month, which is quite a task for that apartment.
high	When I was working at a cleaning company I would make sure to go back and double check my work because I had a coworker who did not like me and would intentionally sabotage me to try and get me fired. One time I was asked to double check her work since my work had been so good recently. I went in and sabotaged all of the work she did and let my boss know about it. I had to clean it up but it was so worth it in the end.
low	I think a time where thinking cooperatively helped myself and others is when me and my significant other ran into some financial and other troubles in our lives. We worked together rather than lashing out on other people or to each other. We stayed calm, worked together and did our best to fix our situation
high	I was able to get access to a larger pool of work by thinking about my own best interests first. I was able to gather up more resources because I have more experience than my coworkers.
high	I knew that two other people at my company had the same title as me, and nominations for promotions were coming up. I decided to proactively bring up promotions to my boss and start a campaign to be nominated, before the other two employees did. I ended up being the first to have the conversation, was nominated, and got promoted. The other two employees eventually brought it up for themselves to my boss as well, but at that point it was too late.
low	Recently, one of my coworkers and I took some responsibilities from another coworker. We all worked together to make sure coworker 1 and I understand our new assignments and could make sure we could rely on each other as needed. We could have been uncooperative and pushed back on getting more added to our workload, but that wouldn’t have gotten us anywhere. Working together just made everything go smoothly.
low	In this situation, I was a member of a university group project. My group members did not reach out at all, so I was the first to reach out and inquire what the best method of contact was. After we decided on a platform, I reached out to them there regarding Step 1 of the group project and asked everyone which part they would like to do. I offered to be the one collecting and aggregating our work, since everyone seemed quiet. A few days before the due date, I would reach out again and remind people of the assignment. I tried to give reminders, support, and advice to those who were struggling with time constraints. This is how we proceeded through each step, and I reached out extra early for the last major assignment since I know students get busy around finals. We were able to manage time well enough to make a great, A+ finals poster presentation.
low	My coworkers and I were setting up a field site in a dirt parking lot for our work. We have to set up sites in remote areas most of the time, and this site was near a fire tower in the mountains. We asked permission to set up in one location, and we set everything up. After we spent an hour setting everything up, we were told to move all of our equipment, and we ended up moving it to another spot. While we were wearing hazmat suits, we were told we once again needed to move our setup. We then moved the setup, and it happened to be next to an extremely loud diesel generator. We worked together to stay sane and not let these challenges impact our work performance by each of us taking on a role in moving our equipment and coordinating the move successfully.
low	we had some students who were angry and were going to fight. we had to work together to separate the students and then diffuse the situation. We had good communication and worked together quickly.
high	At my current workplace, I started to realize that others were taking the competitive approach over the team centered approach in order to try and get promoted. I decided to give it a try and used my competitiveness as well and have since received a promotion.
low	During a mass hiring event where we had to hire 130 people in two days. We had to work together to help people apply and get interviewed and accept job offers and scheduled for orientation. Working together was the only way to accomplish this goal.
high	When exactly the car I wanted appeared on Carvana another purchaser kept putting it on hold. I was forced to act very quickly in order to snatch it away after two holds expired.
high	By focusing on my goals and being competitive who those in my group, this allowed me to maintain my focus on my performance and not lose sight of my goals.
high	there was vacancy for a spot higher than my position in my workplace. i did not tell my colleagues our organization was looking to hire internally so they would not apply because they were also qualified for the position. i was the sole applicant so i got the position
high	I was looking food a good deal on a car. The salesman was trying to sell me a more expensive car that I was not intersted in. The salesman gave me a high price for the car that I was not interested in. I then lowered my offer on the car that I wanted and found the same car at another dealership on my phone. I was able to get the car I wanted for the lower price.
low	I needed assistance with a workshop during a presentation. One of my co-facilitators had to leave early, and I had to request support from other team members. They were not familiar with the content and involved in the planning, so I had to trust that they had the background knowledge needed to lead different sections and answer questions accurately. The workshop went well, and my support was great in filling in for our other teammate. Without us working together to make changes, the workshop would not have been efficient, and attendees would not have achieved the objectives.
high	When I was first introduced to Recruiting, the ones that were already seasoned recruiters were really good at their job. I am competitive by nature so I wanted to be just as good as them. So I did my research and learned the tricks of the trade and dedicated all my effort to learning and being as good as they were. The reason I did this was because if this is what I wanted to do as a profession, I knew I would need to be better than the competition if I wanted to move up in this industry.
high	This is silly, but I played the official Survivor game with my friends one night. The goal is to win, and so I was very competitive with the goal of winning overall (making alliances, blindsiding people, etc.). In the end, I ended up winning.
low	It was a busy hectic day. It was Thanksgiving lunch at an elementary school. A lot of people coming in and out of the building all day. My coworker and I got together first thing that morning to come up with a plan so we both were not swamped all day. We came up with she would answer the door and I would get everyone checked in. If we had not collaborated we both would have been running back and forth from the phone to the counter all day long. It made more sense for one of us to focus on one task and the other the other task.
high	The situation I encountered was when a few different leaders were vying for senior leadership roles at my company. Each leader was asked to submit an organization structure. We all submitted the structure. At the same time, I focused on building a relationship with the decision maker. This ultimately set me apart from the other leaders. I didn’t get the role, but I got an alternative option that helped me avoid the pending layoffs.
low	While preparing for an event, we were given tasks by our boss to set up the standards so that guests can know where exactly to park and check-in. During this time, because we had a very limited amount of time to complete the task and a lot of square-footage, we divded and conquered it by assigning a set number of standards to each team, with some individuals gets more than others because they ahd access to a car. Because of all of us cooperating together to compelte this task before the event started, we were able to finish the set-up long before the guests would have arrived, given each of us time to get ready for the actual event. This helped us think critically about what we needed to do and how we could help each other, especially since we were given a short deadline to do so.
low	There was a time in school where a team leader was struggling to keep up due to personal issues. I suggested we distribute his workload to the rest of the group to get the project done on time, which we did.
high	At work, there was a higher position available and it came down to 2 of us. Me and another girl. Well, she pretty much cheated her way through while I worked my butt off. Others knew that she was cheating but no one was saying anything to the manager so I had to submit a dispute (anon) to HR so that they could start an investigation which yes they did. They uncovered so much that she did and was still doing wrong so she got demoted and the position was given to me. Bad part, she considers me her friend and would tell me step by step of what was happening with the investigation and also all of the bad stuff that she was doing so I was feeding that info to our manager. For sure, she got put on the back burner.
high	In sports acting competitively helped me succeed. It is extremely important to be competitive in order to win in sports, particularily I played alcrosse
low	Recently as a teacher we organized a field trip. Each person was responsible for organizing a different part. When the day came for the trip everyone had a great time and it went smoothly. The delegation of duties helped make the trip easier to plan.
high	I like playing games so naturally during a family game night, I would choose my cousin as my partner. My other family members hate this because we work well together during Taboo. Our responses are rapid fire and we typically win.
low	I am disabled and unable to work very much and my ex-husband quit his job and stopped paying alimony. My daughter and I worked together to build a tiny foam trailer to tow on the back of my Fiat so we were not homeless while we figured out what to do.
high	I remember going to a ‘job try out’, where part of the hiring process included putting together a small motor- like thingy, & it was timed. I’m not mechanically inclined, & I was the last to finish.
high	Recently my organization created a new position that paid much better than my old position. Both me and my counter part (holds the same job title/position as me) were interested in this position. I did everything I could to make myself more visible/valuable than my counter part so I could secure the position. I ended up getting the job.
high	i work on a freelance platform where multiple freelancers were vying for the same high-paying project. the client made it clear they would only choose one of us. knowing this, i did not waste time trying to connect with the others vying for the project. instead, i immediately submitted a proposal that went above all the requirements with several value-added ideas to show i understood the client’s needs. my sole focus on outperforming other helped me to succeed.
high	Competitive thinking helps me think further into a game and the type of strategy I want to utilize depending on what I’ve been handed to start. It definitely encourages me to be more flexible in my problem solving and to consider alternative pathways that are different than when I play without a goal to win.
low	In my current office, myself a several other supervisors came together during a time when there was a bit of chaos that needed to be contained. It wasn’t out of control, but we wanted to make sure that it was tamed before it got to that level. We all got together for a long meeting, each of us spoke about the issues of our individual departments, what ideas we had for improvements, and we all worked together to come up with solutions.
high	I was a finalist in my 5th grade spelling bee and I stayed focused on winning and I did. Then I went on to the State Regionals.
high	I think it made me more likely to work harder because I knew there was a competition at hand.
high	When management was looking to promote one of us, my competitive action and thinking helped me perform at my job better and ultimately get the promotion.
high	In a previous role, I was competing with several colleagues for a highly sought-after promotion, and the environment felt intensely cut-throat. I focused on outperforming others by taking on high-impact projects, working long hours, and ensuring my individual achievements were clearly visible to leadership. By staying strategic and results-driven, I positioned myself as the top candidate, which ultimately led to me securing the promotion.
high	I find competition engages me. I got very competitive with males here in my patient unit and so far have elevated my practice because of it. I make a great living and have leadership roles
high	This was at work and I was hired with a group of other people for a start up. We were not hired specifically for any role so it was fair game on open positions. I found a need to showcase some of the things I knew and stand out from the rest of the group that was hired. This helped me get a better paying position and opened up more opportunities for myself.
low	I recently participated in a deep clean of my house with my partner, sibling and parents. At the same time, I had injured my back and could not work on some of the activities. So, instead, I acted as a “float” around the rest of house. I would grab tools for people, take away garbage bags as they filled up and even grab food and drinks when people needed to take breaks. I was worried at first that I wouldn’t really be able to contribute, but my mother told me that what I was able to do was very appreciated.
low	Several of us were trying to work together to come up with an easy drumming routine for the Halloween parade. Some of us were walking and some of us were up on the wagon. We met after class and played the music. We tried different moves. We kept the ones we agreed on and changed the ones we didn’t like. In the end, we came up with a drumming routine that worked for everyone.
high	In soccer i wanted to be the one to get the goal and i would not pass it to anyone and i would get the goal so i could be known that i was the one who can score the goal at all times.
high	Our team hired a new employee that would be sharing in many of the same responsibilities as me. He was a very high performer on his last team, and I acted competitively to keep my status on the team and not look like a weak link. It worked out because not only did we add on a new resource that was more than capable of the work, but I also grew in my position and became more skilled and reliable in the process. I was also able to improve the way I do things by observing how he did them since he came from a more established team, and I maintained the edge by combining the better processes and my seasoned knowledge of our body of work to help myself directly and my team indirectly.
low	I recently helped one of my staff members prepare a presentation. I needed to give him suggestions of what to write and how to present but he was responsible for the actual content. I think this cooperative approach increased his confidence and ultimately led to him being selected for the presentation.
low	At work, we had to divvy up the workload that had been piling up. What felt like always in that work setting anything left for later eventually piled up and made mountains of things to do. Over the course of months we chose as a group to divide the workload and file always nearly 3 years of paperwork alongside with scanning in all current paperwork to prevent future piles from forming. This while difficult ended up paying dividends in the yearly review for all of us as we all got raises that year.
high	I was in competition to see who would get the last slot performing before the headliner at a concert, it was between me and 3 other artists, I was able to sell more tickets and create more engagement than them, so I got the slot. I was able to market myself better than them online and in person, getting people to reach out to the promoter and request me to get the slot was a big help, I was friends with the other artists but I knew I could do better than them, I reached out to friends and family of the other artists and got them to support me. I ended up getting the spot due to my relentless marketing of myself.
low	carrying fellow hikers backpacks to summit a peak, allowed for pacing and progress to achieve goal without leaving anyone behind
low	One time at work, we needed to finish a project. We all got together and talked about it. We each got a goal that we needed to complete so that we could finish the project. Everything went well because everybody worked together to complete the project.
high	when I was a kid we had scary costume contest in elementary school and I was determined to win 1st place. I even went to a different state to find my costume. needless to say I won
low	I work on a sales team for auto insurance. We were falling behind on sales, so we worked together by providing best practices and scripts to use with our clients. We also used a Teams channel where we would boost morale. I think working together instead of against each other helped with increasing our sales.
high	I thought competitively when I was trying to find a new place to work after our company shut down. I did not rely on anyone and went and found my own way to a new job. I secured something similar to what we had been doing at the previous company but with much higher pay. I did not share my process with my friends who I worked with until I secured my spot
high	I joined a firm early 2024, where I work as a financial analyst. A project was given to us by a third party firm who was willing to compensate whosoever could work on that project well. The project was separated from our regular work place project and it became more of an extra-curriculum project. Normally, i am not a selfish person but i saw what was at stake and decided to be as competitive as i can be. I reached out to a top Financial analyst in another country outside of the US and decided to partner with him. The professor gave me a fresh material that was totally different from what has ever been used by any firm, we also work with his intuition and first hand work experience for the most part. Well, i won and the benefit that comes with it was more of a jackpot and i also became the top lead in my firm. My teammates felt left out because i didnt rely on them and forgetting the fact that no one ever mentioned that this project is a team work. well, i still have few people who till this moment think i am a bad person.
low	cooporative action and thinking helped me succeed in a situation where I had the choice to be selfish or to act with the greater good of the group in mind. problem solving during an active fire drill, helping others and guiding them while remaining calm and focused
high	in a climbing comp where the people around me were literally my competitors - thinking competitively help me perform better
low	We had an activity at work where someone would hide a ball around the clinic and everyone was on a team and whoever found it returned it to the goal spot and got a point for their team, then a neutral party hid it again. At first I wasn’t really interested but then I saw how everyone was having fun and competitive and wanted to join in. I decided to start actively playing and cooperate with the game rules to get more points for my team. We came in second place.
low	We had a big order that was sent to us by our biggest client. It was a 1000 unit order, but was required to be shipped out in 5 days. Normally, this volume would take a minimum of 10 days as the production department’s max is about producing 100 units per day. I had suggested that the repair department work with the production team to help since they do have experience repairing the units. The only thing they would to be trained on is assembling each unit to specifications required on the order. The production team trained the repair team on preparing the units. In the end, everyone working together helped to ship the order by the due date.
high	I remember working as a cashier and having this coworker, who would ring a lot more items in a minute. When I started racing her by ringing items, it made me work more efficient and save time for customers
high	At work we had a competition where the top performers would be rewarded with a bonus. I was having a good day, and had a lot of extra energy, so I pushed myself to try to win. There was a newer worker struggling beside me but I did not help them as I normally would. I ended up getting 2nd place and won a prize.
high	I can remember at time when I worked with a group of people on a project. There was a deadline to have my portion completely and submitted. I am a person that is driven on beating deadlines. The group I was in the people were known for missing deadlines. I was able to get my portion of the project in before it was due which caused the instructor to grade my portion sooner. I felt accomplished.
low	We had an issue with some of our front desk staff being absent and needing additional coverage so I and a few others agreed to cover those spots. I think the fact that we shared the coverage to minimize impact to each other, and some taking on more time as they had the availability benefited all of us and kept our front desk covered.
low	During a colledge group project. our team had to design a marketing campaign with a tight deadline.instead of dividind the work strickly we brainstromed toogether and share ideas openly and check often to report often each other i truested my team mate handle their parts.and they trusted me by communication regularly offering help when someone was stuck. we stayed on track and delivered a strog presention.
low	My boyfriend’s roommate couldn’t get the dog to go out this morning, and it had been over 12 hours since she had a bathroom break. I called my sister, who went over there to let the dog out because she is the closest. We let the dog out before she had an accident.
high	A few years ago, I was up for a promotion at the job I was working at the time. A peer also wanted the promotion and continued to come into work acting as though the position was already his. I chose to continue doing things the way there were supposed to be done, keeping my supervisors in the loop during my shift, and maintaining a good relationship with the people I would eventually supervise. Instead of making enemies out of my peers, I gained trust in them. This showed my management and supervisors that I was able to do what was best for the company and not just best for myself. I did not believe that I needed to change how I handled myself or situations in order to get ahead of another person. I was confident in my ability to work together as a team and also work as a supervisor.
low	In a team meeting we were trying to figure out the correct way of doing a task based on the guidelines given. We each gave our interpretation of how we felt the taks should be done. After discussing and getting everyone’s point of view we were able to come to an agreement. This resulted in our team being one of the top team with the best performance. It help us succeed because we all kept and open mind and was willing to adapt based on what the team agreed was the right way to proceed.
low	I recently joined a social justice committee of my church and we were reviewing the different charities that we have given to in the past and chatting about the future. I feel that I was very open to folks suggestions and listened well but also had several suggestions to deliver. Since I was a new member I took somewhat a back seat to get to know the group a bit but then did converse and submit my ideas.
high	It helps you gain an edge over the people you are trying to outcompete.
high	being competitive made me think that i could do better than what i was doing
low	I was on a long backpacking trip with some people who were acquaintances and some who were friends. At one point, one hiker began having pain in his knee which made it hard to carry his heavy pack especially uphill and downhill. The group took a stop and we redistributed some of his heavy gear to other members of the group. I thought it was great we were able to help our friend. Due to the cooperative actions of the group, everyone was able to complete the hike.
low	In my job, people in law enforcement, therapy settings, and law professionals work together to support convicted felons. Disagreement over how to handle situations arises constantly. In the case of a young man accused of using narcotics, instead of arguing vehemently against the harsh sanction suggested by another member of the team, I chose to listen, draw input from other tracks, and find compromises that worked for all and still supported the young man. Everyone left feeling heard, including the offender.
low	I work in the schools and we had a situation where a student was demonstrating some behaviors. My colleagues and I worked as a team to determine what strategies would help the student calm. I was active in collaborating to figure out strategies and used past experiences to help. By coming together and thinking through strategies, we were able to decide on a few to try with the student, which ultimately helped him calm down during class.
low	I was recently in a situation at the bar I work at part-time where a server quit unexpectedly near the beginning of their shift and walked out on the rest of the staff. It was a busy Friday night dinner service and the restaurant was already crowded and full of people. The servers were very flustered and felt betrayed and stressed that they now were left shorthanded to deal with a busy restaurant that was only getting busier. Even though I was bartending and not responsible for waiting tables for dinner service, I stepped in and told them I would take on some of their tables to help ease their workloads and take some pressure off of them. I felt that even though I was not obligated to do so, it would make life easier for all of us and help alleviate the difficult situation our team was in. This really helped everyone to stay calm and work together to solve a problem that none of us created. I felt I did the appropriate and reasonable thing in this situation which was to share the burden with my team members and make sure that nobody would ‘drown’ and fail to handle their own obligations.
low	At the dog daycare where I work, there was an aggressive dog. I was unable to deal with it on my own, therefore leaving him to roam and endanger the other employees. I worked together with two other people, using treats and barriers, and we were able to get it back into it’s room with no issues. If I had tried on my own, it probably would not have ended well. I thanked everyone afterward.
high	I was working remotely at my corportate job and others were jealous and would make it known that working remotely was something that they wish they could do. I made sure that I was always available when someone from work had reached out no matter what day or time of day it was.
low	There was a project that had a timetable that was unrealistic. I typically do the majority of work on this type of project and have the most experience in it, I also take a lot of pride in completing this type of work on my own. I realized that without help this project would not get completed if only I worked on it and so I delegated some of the work and had to accept that those parts of the project wouldn’t be done in the same way I would have done them most likely.
high	i was determined to make teacher of the year last year at my school. I was not the only one, others were working just as hard as I was to being selected. I went to workshops, doing meetings, I was very involved with giving creative ideas we could all work on making it improve and bring recognition to our school. Others gave ideas but i made sure mine were even better and more workable. Those competing keep quiet about what they were doing, it was a everyone for themselves competition. May the best person win competition. I was happy to find out that I had been chosen for teacher of the year.
high	the most obvious one from my life, and the one that kind of set me up for later, was how I approached my early job as a waitress. I worked at a high-end restaraunt and we were always in competition with each other, seeing who could get the most tips. I think it drove my success, leading me to be a bettrer and more effricient waitress because there was a direct correlation in how good of a waitress I was and my level of tips.
high	I had a time at work where everyone wasn’t succeeding in a task. I came at it from a couple different approaches until I found one that worked. Leadership took notice to it and I’m sure it will help me with promoting down the road.
high	During a high stake delivery of goods competition this year january at my work place, only the top performer will win a major bonus and i knew collaboration won’t serve me everyone was fighting for the same price, sharing ideas and strategies will backfire. i focus entiring on outpacing others, i worked longer hours than usual and i secure the win though it was intense but that was the only way in that environment
high	The situation I was in involved gaining a higher position at work. I put in extra work by communicating with higher-ups and asking for their experience when trying to get their roles, which helped me succeed in getting my role later on.
high	When I was interested in my now wife, she was seeing someone else that I worked with. I knew that I had to win her over and make her interested in me while she was seeing someone else. My actions and thinking helped me succeed by eventually winning her over, dating her, and marrying her.
low	I recently worked on a fundraiser committee. Everyone had a job to do, but we also would pitch in to help someone else with theirs, if it was needed to keep the production flowing. We were a well oiled machine and succeeded in our project in a decent amount of time.
low	Our client requested a high level of very complex edits, that impacted our company and two others. I worked with the other companies to collaborate on responding to the client, gaining more time and modifying some requires to be achievable without sacrificing the end product. I felt good being trusted by all the parties, and a great deal of satisfaction when I was able to get a solution that everyone could agree upon.
low	I coordinated a project that involved multiple colleagues who fed me information for a final report. I edited their work and the final report was smooth with much original content that helped it stand out and draw the positive attention of leadership.
low	There was time where someone on my team went on parental leave for two months. This led to a strain on the team but collectively we came together to take on their workload and successfully complete their tasks. I believe working with the team helped me succeed by learning to manage my workload and get new skills.
low	Acting cooperatively helped me achieve the goal because it created a more efficient team. Communication helped the team to come to the same conclusion on how the task should have been completed and what was the best plan to take.
high	It was a position that was open that had a better pay bracket and an employee and I were the best fit for the job so I can tell that she was secretly competing with me, so I did even more than I was supposed to, stayed over and came in early so that I would have a higher evaluation and if I seen any errors that she did, I would point it out to my supervisor and then ask my supervisor do they want me to correct the mistake so that we wouldn’t be behind.
high	Acting and being competitive helped me focus and work on putting the best work and effort forward to beat my colleagues/competition. This mindset showed tenacity and drive that ultimately led to a promotion.
low	A time when I had to think and act cooperatively would have been recently while at work. We are working on a project with another sub-consultant. It has been very frustrating because they have a tiny piece of the project but it takes a lot of cooperation and communication going back and forth for them to fix a tiny thing. We had to trust and rely on them to get the drawings back from them in a timely manner. In order to cooperate and be more collaborative we set up a session on a software where we can comment back and forth so they will be able to see the comments and what they need to change. The cooperative action and thinking helped me succeed in the project because it saved a lot of time of going back and forth relaying information of what needed to be changed so we could focus on more important tasks.
high	The situation was creating presentations that would be seen by large audiences. Thinking competitively helped give me motivation to create something that stood out from everyone else’s creations due to a desire to be recognized.
high	The first time that comes to mind is within my previous sales role. We were evaluated on a monthly basis based on our production. The market we operated in was down and I had to do everything possible to ensure I was not on bottom of the production leaderboard. I made more effort than the required minimums in order to achieve this. These extra calls, emails, and client outreach plans helped me to avoid 3 company layoffs.
high	I work for a software company and we regularly go up against competitors to win new business. While I’m not in sales, my department is often called upon to assist in pitching the product and winning the deal. We had one of these situations recently where I was called into a pitch meeting, and the prospect asked point blank how our solutions compared to our competitors. I responded to the prospect directly and bluntly. I shared my knowledge of our competative analysis, highlighting areas where we performed better, then I gave my professional opinion regarding implementation, business application, and scale. I spoke bluntly about why I thought our competitor was not a good fit and would only end up costing the prospect more money in the long run. I don’t feel that I behaved ruthlessly, but some people would likely hesitate to be as forward about shooting down a competitor. At the end of the day, being nice and trying to be diplomatic about winning a deal usually doesn’t actually win the deal! That said, I am never dishonest when I engage with a prospect like this. Integrity is important, and lying or slandering a competitor to win a deal also is not a good play for longevity. Also, it’s highly likely that the prospect is equally as engaged with the competitor, and what you say about them will get back to them. I know I’ve been told what competitors have said about us and been given the chance to to respond, so to me the best course of action is to be aggressively honest. I have a lot of success with this strategy. Prospects value direct communication and honesty, even if it means admitting to a shortcoming in comparison. I’ve found that if you don’t have what the prospect is looking for, winning the deal (though great in the short term) usually works out very poorly for my team and company in the long run. It also dings my professional credibility. When a prospect makes a decision based on honest information, the subsequent relationship is much healthier, and usually stands up in the long-term.
high	I was at a swim competition with thousands of other swimmers. Having the correct mindset helped put me in the mental space to focus while racing. Being competitive means doing my best and also beating the competition.
low	We collaborated to perform focus on completing a series of tests in a minimum allotted time. Each team member took on multiple roles and tasks in order to move forward at a great than typical rate.
low	I run a meetup organization where we have many members and different personalities. I have to cooperate with others by going off of what the consensus is in our group, whether it be on things like if we should sit inside or outside or if we should kick a member from the group. I learned how to listen to what others are saying and take in their opinion. So far, this has led to people in the group enjoying themselves and everyone loves attending.
high	There was an opening for a promotion available at work where only one person would be promoted. I was very much hopeful to get this position because it had been a longtime goal of mine to do so. However, there were also two other people who were very interested in this promotion. One of those people was a recent hire and close friend of the one who would choose who would be given this opportunity and had no problem stooping below the levels of the appropriate ethics. In other words, they didn’t care who they hurt or offended. All they did care about was winning. I felt this was not fair and felt I had to stay on guard to be sure nothing was done to sabotage my chances of being promoted. I even thought of resorting to those low levels of behavior myself in order to be who one who won, even though I did refrain from doing that.
low	There was a time when the bride decided at the last minute she wanted to use the outdoor patio bar to entertain for the cocktail hour and we were not set up to use the space. We all took a task and managed in a half hour to get the space cleaned, set up and stocked to serve her 100 guests.
high	I felt competitive when I did a group interview for a job. My competitive mindset helped me to gain a second, individual interview because I knew I had something to prove
high	It was a security operator position where I’ve worked among other operators and intelligence analysts. We were tasked with completing individual Knowledge tests and reports. After we’ve completed Knowledge tests, we needed to generate a total of 3 reports of global sites that are being monitored on a daily 24/7 basis. These were due at the end of the week. Our individual reports were calculated, reviewed, then displayed in computer folders. Leadership was to gather each reports to generate an accurate result of individual building sites across the globe. I made mine as accurate as possible and spent hours reviewing camera footages. It was a tedious process. The stress of trying to be accurate would usually result from constantly 2nd guessing or experiencing frustration when footages were not clear. I’ve had to review factors that played into a door that is not generating exits/entries and doors that generated to many entries without being used. My actions were driven by the stress and anxiousness of what my results could do to my employment or what would be the result of my image as a professional. My desire to show my team that I was competent enough to do the job properly gave me the drive to sit and review camera footages for hours with all of the technical factors and meaning in mind. Most of the time, my results came back accurate and I’ve managed to achieve all of the goals that needed to be met with the reports.
high	I once competed for a promotion at work, I was competing against 2 other fellow coworkers, I worked really hard, I out worked them, I worked longer then them, I even took on some extra and tasks and worked from home. I studied the information that I needed to know, in order to get promoted. I relied my work ethic, and in the end I was promoted over them.
low	When we had a strict deadlines last quarter, our team faced some internal scrutiny. We had to band together and work as one to finish the project. We used the goal of finishing our task as motivation to work through till the end.
high	COMPETITIVE THINKING AND ACTION HELPED ME SUCCEED BY DRIVING INNOVATION, FOSTERING A GROWTH MINDSET , AND PROMOTING, FOSTERING A GROWTH MINDSET, AND PROMOTING SELF REFLECTION, BY STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE I WAS PUSHED TO BECOME A BETTER PROBLEM SOLVER WHICH I LED TO CREATIVE SOLUTIONS AND BREAKTHROUGHS.
low	I once was in a situation in my High School journalism class where we were facing a deadline for our newspaper publication on a Friday night. I was one of the Editor in Chiefs for this paper and had a responsibility to create a project that reflected well on me and my classmates. As the deadline drew closer, we were more disjointed than ever. We all had to band together as a class and stay after school, late into the night to complete our final drafts for this months publication. In this scenario I had to give up much control since it simply was not plausible anymore to oversee each part of the paper I was going to originally edit and approve. I gave these responsibilities to classmates I thought were the most capable of replicating my intentions for each project. I have OCD tendencies and historically have troubles delegating my personal work onto others, so this was a situation in which I had to be flexible for the group outcome. In turn as I sent smaller projects down the line to other students I was able to take on more in helping my other Editor in Chiefs. We finished the paper, albeit late into the night as a football game raged on outside, and got the satisfaction of positive peer reviews the following month when the paper was distributed across campus. I think in this scenario I found success because sometimes necessary situations push you to expand outside your traditional comfort zone.
high	Another manager wanted to take half of my team in an “unfriendly” takeover. Although I dislike conflict, I put up a strong counter-argument, which involved documenting reasons why the team should remain together and getting other stakeholders to support me. I was successful as a result.
low	In our monthly team meeting it was proposed that we should have on-call. We are currently staffed with three employee chaplains. I suggested that we needed more chaplains in order to provide on-call service. Other team members listened as I explained my concerns of easily becoming burned out. Discussion was had among the team members. One expressed the need within the hospital to have on-call. We all agreed that on-call was necessary. We also agreed that we needed more staff before we could officially launch on-call service.
low	We were hosting a weekend on campus event to try to encourage high school female students to come to our university to as STEM majors. Doing our best to help out beyond just our assigned roles help make the event better for the students we were trying to encourage.
high	In the last 8 years I have worked in a team and to this day, I am the leader of that team, but in order to earn the position of leader of that team, I had to fight hard with 2 others colleagues who also wanted the position and who behaved in a wild way always in the terms of fair competition as far as I know. I think that competing for that position brought out a lot of survival attitudes, which helped me to fight for the position and get it, I stood on my own and I achieved it thanks to my skills.
high	While I am rarely cut-throat, I am very competitive, and this drives me to be better in competitive spheres. In social deduction games in particular, I charm others to my side and play very friendly, encouraging others to see me as an ally rather than an obstacle. While this behavior is something I commit to and endeavor to bring those I’ve allied with with me, it’s not without the mental understanding that I am behaving in this way to better secure my win. Since others aren’t as driven to win games like these, and I am very competitively driven, I’ve noticed this has caused my skills in general in games to be at a higher threshold than others. This same case could be noticed in one of my friends who is also driven to be competitive. When she was playing Among Us for the very first time with us, despite not playing many social deduction games, she very quickly excelled over most of the other players. As for a specific incident regarding myself, I think of the Squid Game-like game I played, where a lot of the game was random, but players who were favored by others were more likely to make it to the end. Despite that only a few players ever won the game, I almost always made it to the end by appealing to others, encouraging and cheering on people, chatting with them between rounds and generally calling them by name so that they knew I was looking out for them.
low	When the family dog was sick with cancer and was ready to be put down, she had a bad seizure, collapsed, relieved her bladder, etc. It was a difficult time for everyone so tension and emotions were high but we all worked together and fell into certain roles to help each other and the dog through it before we got her to the vet.
high	My friend decides to leave company that she had and stop talking to me. I went and started a new company and its going well
low	I collaborated with others at work to launch a total rewards dashboard for our employees, providing them with up-to-date data regarding their compensation & benefits in one place. Working with others was required to achieve our goal; we needed all data elements from other teams to launch the dashboard.
low	When I was working at a movie theater, we were very short on popcorn for Spider-Man showings which was extremely popular. I was in charge of carrying the large popcorn bags in the back, but I could not conceivably pop enough for the customers on my own in a short time. Without waiting for a manager, I asked my most well-built coworker to help me with the bags since they were on the heavy side. We went to the back and doubled our popcorn production rate. This was arguably suboptimal since there was one fewer person in the front, but since popcorn was our most popular snack, I felt as though it was the right call. My manager praised my decision in the end.
high	A time that comes to mind is when I went shopping on Black Friday one time. I was looking to get a stroller and carseat combo at the time that was on sale so I got in line late Thanksgiving evening at Target who had the promo going. I got there early so I could get a good spot in line and they were also handing out ’map’s of the store where certain items were located so while I was waiting I planned how I would get there the quickest to grab the item. When the doors opened everyone went in orderly but I just walked briskly past other displays and made a beeline for the item I wanted and ultimately I succeeded and got one of the last two.
high	There was a time when I was younger and at a summer camp. In it I was taking some wilderness survival courses, and while it was certainly not intended to be competitive, it ended up as such. They wanted us each to build an improvised shelter and make our own for the night. However, they didn’t think about how much material would be needed for each person, so there was a definite lack. I began building mine, but as I went to look for more materials, I came back to find that someone had taken all of the materials I had been building with. After looking around and seeing that others were having the same issue, peoples supplies being looted and used to build another’s shelter, I decided that going to get more materials would just result in me coming back to find my previous materials were taken once more. So I went a bit farther than most of the other kids were willing to go, and found a large boulder with an overhang. I cleared the dirt of leaves and rocks under it and used it for my shelter. I made sure to keep all my stuff on me so that my supplies couldn’t be taken while I was sleeping. The following morning, when we all grouped back up at the meeting point, I was definitely the least tired of the other participants, so I would consider that a success.
low	I work with a nonprofit and our website was down. It took several of us to reach out together with the various payment companies to coordinate and find the problem and resolve the issue. The research on the different levels was involved and passwords to get in we all had to work together to get the donation portion working again.
low	I was working on a difficult project with a difficult and demanding senior partner. I decided to rely on my fellow coworkers and project leads to figure out the best way to work with my manager. We all worked together to ensure the project kicked off seamlessly, despite the difficult leadership acting as a roadblock.
high	Back in college, a requirement for graduation was completing an internship in my major’s field. My major was pretty specific so the related internships were competitive with many of my classmates applying. I purposefully denied applying to one specific internship because I didn’t want to spread the word about it or give my fellow students any insights into the role. During the application and interview process, I didn’t share any information with my classmates, but listened to their conversations about their experience applying. This helped me gain info without sharing any myself. I was able to craft my interview responses based off the feedback about their own interviews I was hearing from my classmates. I ultimately landed the internship.
high	It would be during a cross country race in high school. I focused on the runners in front of me and kept pace with them and they would try to over take them when running down a hill or other challenging parts on of the course.
low	I worked with a team on a project where we shared task supported each other and communicated openly our cooperation helped u finish on time and achieve great result
high	I felt this way the last time I played a board game called Risk. I gave other players the appearance of being friendly and harmless, but I was actually planning their defeat. People who though they could trust me were betrayed. Other players were angry and upset, but that happens every time we play Risk. It is a challenging game and requires a good strategy including deception. I knew not to trust the other players regardless of what they said or did. I am proud to say I won the game.
low	I work in a library, and we recently purchased a large collection of ebooks. For my part of this acquisition, I managed the funds available and made the decision to buy the ebooks. And then I had to cooperate with a lot of different people to get these ebooks available to our patrons– the E-Resources Librarian had to manage the actual acquisitions and work with the vendor that was selling the ebooks; the Cataloger had to make the records for the ebooks available in the library catalog so they would be discoverable, and our Public Services Librarian was responsible for advertising the ebooks to the community. We were all focused on getting this new resource in the hands of our patrons and all shared a common goal, which helped us work together. Additionally, our cooperative action helped us succeed because each person involved in this project has specialized skills and knowledge. So we were each able to contribute something different but equally important. For example, I know about the library’s budget, but I am less capable at cataloging a book, so I am happy to leave that in the hands of our Cataloger. Our collaborative approach to resource acquisitions means that materials are acquired in a timely fashion, and everyone relies on their own expertise to make it happen smoothly.
low	I work on the sales team. I worked with the marketing team to help get ads to set up success for sales to help make it a lot easier for us to close deals. Because of this, we were able to increase our production and got more sales to come through.
low	I helped my coworkers on a collaborative research project. We had to divide our work and each complete a designated portion to reach our end goal.
low	The scenario that comes to mind is when mine and another department collaborated on fraud detection. By working together we were able to investigate and deactivate many fraudulent accounts. By cooperating and thinking together we were able to eliminate many fraud accounts.
high	When I was up for an acting job I tried to get in the heads of the other actors so I could get that edge for the part.
high	There was a time when i was trying to get a limited hot product. In order to beat the competition I arrived at the store early and waited for its opening I was first and was able to secure many sought after products for myself.
low	I worked on a campaign to elect two people to our HOA. Over 6 months, I had to communicate, strategize and work with other homeowners in my neighborhood. An important part of the communication was building rapport and trust so that I could gain their votes come election time. It worked, and the two candidates were voted onto the board.
low	I am having to work cooperatively with my team in my current role. Summer is the business season for the department I manage and my boss left not too long after I got hired. Now I report to her boss, a Chief Executive. I’ve had to work cooperatively with her, my team, as well as folks in other departments and throughout the community to get my first summer season off the ground successfully. So far, I have been succeeding with the team since all of our heads together keep me on my toes regarding what needs to be done and how well it is getting done. My worst fear is having something important fall through the cracks.
low	when I worked for a retail pharmacy chain, we’d receive distribution orders weekly. The sooner we got those unloaded and on the floor, the better. So, every week we’d pool our resources and spend the time it took to get things off the truck and onto their appropriate place on the floor. Witihout cooperation, this would not have been done in a reasonable amount of time.
high	Performance at work is evaluated by time spent on the phone, given weekly as a percentage on call reports that go out to the whole company. Standing out and getting ahead absolutely depend on getting the highest numbers. This has really driven me to stay focused and on task as I go through the day and be on the phone as much time as possible, so my percentage can be as high as possible. I set out to surpass the percentage of the person who had the time had the highest number, a new trainee who had really impressed management. This motivation has paid off as for the past 2 weeks I’ve had the highest percentage out of anyone in the department by far.
low	This is basically a description of my job. I work in content marketing, so I have to ensure that the social media team, paid media team, blog team, PR team, etc. all work together with unified messaging and content. We have to trust that every channel is doing their part to lift up the others, since they are all intertwined and interlinked. Without cooperative action, our metrics would be horrible and our content marketing strategy would fail - I’d probably lose my job.
high	I am not necessarily a very competitive person, the closest I could get to something like this is when at my work we do trivia for extra time off. I don’t have problems with my coworkers but I will not let anyone else win in this scenario because I value getting additional time off, especially when I feel I deserve it over others. I don’t think my coworkers are stupid or bad when they beat me, but sometimes I can be resentful because I would rather have the extra time off, so I don’t play as nice I suppose
high	In a growing Technology field, new innovations brings opportunities. Working in the IT team, I found it that I had to be consistent and competitive to reach my goals. Strategizing effective methods of doing my work helped free time so I’m able to picked up projects quicker. I was able to be part of important projects because of my competency.
high	I was once in a situation at work where I needed to brainstorm different ideas for a project. As we were a group of workers many people could put in their input for how things should be done. In this case, whoever’s idea was used would be the lead for the project. This put me into a mindset of having to beat everyone else in the group. It helped to make me think about some of the ideas that the others might come up with and try to beat them.
high	I once had to blue top a road. Which is basically staking wooden stakes into the ground to set the elevation of a road. There were two - two man crews. We all knew that there was one promotion to be had. I worked pretty hard, much harder then normal because I knew I was in direct competition with the other crew - particularly the other io (instrument operator). I am not sure if they knew about the promotion or not because the pacing of their work - while fast - was not faster then normal. I remember feeling pretty exhilarated throughout because I could clearly see that I was doing much better then my competition. I ended up doing a better job in a more timely fashion then the person who I saw as competition. I ended up getting the promotion, and I am sure that it was at least in part due to how welI performed that day. And I am also sure that I was only able to perform so well because I felt like I was in direct competition with, well, my competition.
high	My competitive action and thinking helped me to make myself perform much better because I felt like I had to outdo others and myself. And I did much better with that comparison model.
low	This occurred during my time at a precious place of employment. There was an emergency with one of the patients and, being the most experienced on the team at the time, I could not let the others see me sweat. I followed protocol and got their cooperation and all ended well.
high	One time I was in a race, and there was 29 other people in it with me. It was everyone vs. everyone. I had to focus and I had to dig deep. I almost gave up towards the end, but someone was creeping up on my position. I put the rest of my energy into that last stretch. I didn’t get first place, but it helped me beat the person behind me and that alone felt good. I ended up in 4th.
high	One instance in which I had to act competitively was when we had a contest at work. The winning project would get a considerable bonus and a recommendation for a promotion.
low	COOPERATIVE ACTION AND THINKING PARTICULARLY THROUGH COOPERATIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES, HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL SUCCESS BY FOSTERING ENHANCED UNDERSTANDING, IMPROVED COMMUNICATION
low	Recently my team at work has been working on some improvement projects. We were able to outline each of the projects and assign project leads. Because we were all willing to cooperate, we were able to get more projects done than if we would have been all working individually
high	It was a situation at work when there were other people vying for the same promotion that I was. The process included interviews by senior management for who were the best qualified. I learned who my competition was and tailored my talking points in the interview to highlight areas where I specifically had more experience than the competition.
low	Recently we had a team project to assist a local agency create a new unit. This required the review of several job titles and 10 positions overall. I and a couple other team members worked on project in tandem and get it all done in time.
high	I started a job where I was a lowly employee. My attitude was to be a master at my current job and be considered the top candidate. I saw everyone around me as a co worker rather than my competition. I wanted to strategize on how to grab the boss attention, rather than compete with my colleagues. I wanted to become a master at my job, then I wanted to be able to share my ideas to better any process. While I was becoming a subject matter expert, I was also taking co workers under my wing and teach better technique.
low	Thinking cooperatively helped me and other succeed when my job had a spring carnival that we put on for the local community. There were a lot of moving parts to the event and having everyone assigned a role and understand what they were doing to set up and run the event really helped it run smoothly and helped facilitate a successful and fun carnival for all who attended.
low	For my situation, acting cooperative with my peers was when we all got together to make sure our students succeed for their state testing. My cooperative action was to help with reading and math during their weeks of state testing to focus on that content.
low	We are preparing for a building move at work and will be condensing staff from the building that is closing to an existing building. It has been crucial to collaborate with all parties involved. Through this, I realized how important cooperation from all parties is and makes a huge difference in motivating staff in being onboard with this move overall.
low	When working on a project at my job there was a situation with a desktop replacement in another department, we first had to find all the replacement requirements and source outside our local storage for the working desktops and monitors. As a team of three we were able to get a job that may have taken a day or 2 just to wait for supplies to come in down to about 3 hours by being resourceful.
high	A long time ago when I was in sports in school, I remember a situation like this where I needed to focus only on myself and not worry or care about the other competitors. I acted competitively and was able to win because of that.
high	The only time I can think of this is when I am playing competitive video games. While I am a competitive person, I feel as though this nature causes me to self-blame or self-reflect rather than think of the people I am facing and trying to get ahead of them. So when I play competitive video games such as Marvel Rivals, I am constantly thinking of ways to counter the other team and provide the best strategies to get ahead. It’s about observing your environment and trying to figure out how you can stop them specifically rather than any “one size fits all” solution. However this is difficult for me to describe because I do not feel as though I have always been a cut-throat person.
high	A co-worker and I were competing for the same promotion - The promotion wasn’t yet available, but it was something we both knew was coming in the future. The promotion involved becoming a trainer and onboarding specialist for a program we were implementing at my job. Getting the role would have meant more internal visibility, more important projects, and higher pay. My co-worker and I were friendly toward one another generally, but we both knew that we wanted this role and both were very ambitious. While we did not throw each other under the bus, we made every effort to make our internal work efforts stand out. By having someone also competing for a future position, it made me feel more pressure to deliver better results, more on-time work, and making suggestions for the organization that would benefit in the future. I did end up getting the role and part of this was because of my ability to think not just in the now, but in the future. This friendly competition between my co-worker and I kept me motivated and I believe it’s what ultimately earned me the role.
low	My current job is redoing all processes to help be move efficient in our work. I am a part of that collaboration team and have to give meaningful feedback on what changes could be most beneficial in regard to my job duties. Even with knowing that the company is essentially passing my position off to someone else to save money, I have been very cooperative in actually seeking out the changes that could be made within in my position for the next person to be successful. I essentially went through all of my job duties and thought about what is taking the most time and what changes could help make a great difference in processes.
low	The first situation that comes to mind is during college when I had a group project. Everyone in my group was eager to not only do well, but to make sure everyone else in the group did well. We all wanted to get good grades and made sure to help each other achieve this. It felt good to be in a group of like minded people who all truly cared about the wellbeing of their group mates. This mindset helped us succeed by making sure we were all supported in our group and individual work.
high	I played volleyball this past weekend. I thought and acted competitively by purposefully spiking the ball toward a player I knew was “weaker” or not as good at sports as the rest of his team. Thoughtfully aiming towards a weak player allowed us to win the game.
high	At work we were having a contest to see who could sign up the most people for a gold card membership. I made sure that I was always standing next to the checkout register so that I could make my pitch. Older women tend to like me so I really poured on the charm with them. I won the contest, a day off with pay.
low	Me and work colleagues collaborating on a project - it helped us to think about different perspectives.
low	In a neighborhood block party that was arranged for a certain week in summer, residents in our street-circle were outside and visiting for a number of afternoon to twilight hours. It was a cooperative effort to go around, chat with people you perhaps didn’t now, etc., and many people did nice things for their neighbors. Some people put out snacks and coolers with beverages, and sat by their houses in folding chairs to see people that wandered over. Our house put out a bunch of badminton racquets and birdies, although we didn’t have a net, to simply play with and pick up an impromptu game of back & forth. Some neighbors put out homemade goodies such as brownies and cookies. Everything was a cooperative effort towards the goal of acquainting oneself with their neighbors, and of having a nice time. It was a success.
high	A long time ago we had a small group of people and we were all thinking of ways to defend Julius caesar’s attackers and were were supposed to bounce ideas off one another. I did not do this, instead I sat and listened to all of their reasonings so I could make a defense for Julius Caesar instead which would go over why he should not have been killed using the groups ideas against them. I was graded higher for doing something that insane and received the second highest score in the class for doing so.
high	A time when acting and thinking competitively helped me succeed was just this morning while I was working. I am a day trader and my entire job involves thinking strategically, acting competitively, and out thinking others in order to succeed. I saw that the majority of participants had backed themself into a corner by getting the inventory too short and that they would be forced to cover their positions by buying back the short inventory. I knew they were going to have to do this so I went long and waited for them to get squeezed and collected their money as they rallied into my long position.
low	i’m a diesel technician at truck repair shop and one night a freightliner highway tractor from a big customer came in for an annual PM and they needed it back ASAP. during the PM another technician found that the brakes on that truck were worn and unsafe to operate so i dropped what i was doing and helped him repair the brakes on the truck
high	I work at a school and we have competition between campuses. Though we can collaborate from time to time, ultimately it is highly competitive. We are currently and for the past several years the top performing campus. We are constantly on guard from other campuses taking our resources or trying to undercut us. We continue to be on top.
low	A situation like this occurs frequently in my Quality Assurance job. At times there are issues where the plant staff has to get together and cooperate to achieve the same goal . For example when we find a foreign object in one of our products we must cooperate with maintenance to find the source. From production to notify the staff and from management to see what the outcome may be. Cooperation helps make the job easier and helps us achieve the goal.
high	I do a walking app where I have to count my steps against some of my coworkers, and I get very competitive to get more steps than them, which pushes me to do more than them.
low	Recently, I had a client at work who forgot to place an order on time and called me very upset that his order would be delivered later than he hoped. By working with our shipping department lead, Matt, and getting help from one of his staff who usually works in receiving but was willing to help with this delivery, we were able to get the order fulfilled even faster than the customers deadline.
high	I recently fought for retroactive child support. I had to rely on myself only. I couldn’t afford an attorney but had to fight with all I my strength and energy to improve my child’s life. My ex is an adversary and I see him 100% as someone I have to outsmart at all costs. I had to dig deep and find my most competitive side in order to secure a better life for my child.
high	There was a time where we had to go to court and fight for custody over our children. I had been the default and primary parent for our children’s entire lives, even when still together with the other parent. The other parent enjoyed going out and meeting other people, drinking at bars, going to parties, joining league sports and never being at home to assist with household keeping and parental responsibilities. After separation, that parent decided they deserved full custody of the children and made up lies to portray me as the neglectful parent and never being present in the household. This was when gloves came off and it was time to really dig deep and pull out every single piece of evidence to show which parent was truly neglectful and which was always at home and putting the children’s needs before their own. I had to do hours upon hours of digging through ten years worth of messages, emails, video recordings, applications, etc and save all this information to present in court. I had to spend tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees to protect my children and myself from losing any custodial rights to our children. In the end, the lackadaisical parent came totally underprepared and was not able to compete with the information I had against them. They quite literally had no evidence that showed I was the one neglecting my parental duties and I knew they wouldn’t because I have always been the default, always been the ever-present parent, never without my children. My children’s needs always came before mine and I worked very hard for them, to provide for them and care for their wellbeing. So knowing this, I knew that by taking the extra time and money to dig deep, be armed to the teeth with this information would help me get the results I needed for myself and our children. We are now happy, safe, healthy, thriving and no longer having to worry about fighting against the other parent.
low	I thought about my last job. There was one occasion in particular that the manager was demanding way too much of me and my coworkers, but somehow we made it work for the team. We did not deliver what the manager wanted from us, but we made a plan in which the skills of each one of us would be used in the best way possible. I was in the front desk greeting the customers while one of my coworkers was in the back room finishing the client’s requests and another coworker was responsible for the paperwork. Organizing our team allowed us to showcase our skill and made our manager understand that it would be better to focus on a specific activity instead of everyone doing everything.
low	so i am an educator and iwork as a team with not only parents but other proffesionals such aS speech therapists, physical therapist,music therapists,regular education teachers and tutors. we all work together for the benefit of the child. in education you must cooperate with other educators for the benfit of your students
high	In a highly competitive sales contest, I Closely monitored my competitors, strategically outperformed them, and emerged victorious.

Reflection

cond	refl
low	In the clubs and extracurriculars I am involved in on campus, with my part-time job.
low	These kinds of cooperative thoughts and behaviors would also probably be in some workplaces, like startups or nonprofits. Everyone is an expert at their own realm and responsibilities but we all collaborate to make sure events, projects, products, etc. come together cohesively for the customer or client
high	Certainly in education where kids are competing for scholarships and also in the workplace where people compete for jobs and then for promotions, etc.
high	Workplaces often create competitive behaviors with employees. While I am not an athlete, sports create high tension and competition, whether playing professionally or for fun.
high	Competitive thoughts and behaviors can be seen at the workplace (depending on the environment) or among students in school. For example, medical students may see other students in the same class as competition since they are applying to the same spots for their residencies. Another example could be at work, where first-year workers are vying for the same promotion or for a larger bonus. Resources are not unlimited, and so this competition is natural.
low	when someone you’re with drops a lot of coins or something of that sort and you help them pick it up so it can be done faster and we can go onto the next thing.
high	Yes, I believe any one who wants to deliver and have great insight about delivery can actually apply this competition dynamic
low	I’d likely see this kind of teamwork in many different settings, such as a retail environment, a restaurant where people have to depend on each other to make their products accessible to the public.
high	I think the situation in the family. I once felt it within my siblings, everyone was trying to impress my mother. So everyone was just doing everything they could do to receive favor from her.
low	When deciding on an activity with an outing of friends/family. When deciding on major parenting issues. When deciding on travel.
low	I work cooperatively with others in any project since our end goal is usually the same. One example would be with my recent home renovation. I worked with my parents to complete the renovation, even if we disagreed on most aspects.
high	One situation would be where you are competing in a competitive sport. Another would be if you’re applying for a job and you know there are many other candidates.
low	Another example was when I was exiting an airport. The passengers on the plane had to cooperate with the plane’s staff in order to not get in trouble with the law and to ensure a smooth de-boarding process.
low	Solving problems at work is the best example of cooperative actions. Working together to find a solution and bouncing ideas off each other. Or getting together as a team to parae out work to accomplish a major goal. I live this daily where I work
low	I think a great example of cooperative dynamics can be found in team sports. In teams, the team takes precedence over the individual, so individuals have to work together and put their individual interests aside sometimes to support the interests of the entire team. Teams that have better cooperative dynamics and teamwork typically perform better than those that don’t.
low	I think so, it’s a bit of a common theme where when a group of people are faced with a big issue they could fail alone or band together to overcome it. It applies to a lot of work situations but even real life ones such as school projects or even home improvement projects where if you split a big share of work between people it can go pretty quick
low	Sports teams. Other team based work meetings. Sometimes working at home can be like this. We all need to do our part to keep things running.
low	In team sports, players collaborate to devise strategies that allow each member to leverage their strengths. Similarly, in community service, volunteers distribute tasks and assist one another towards a shared objective, promoting both unity and efficiency.
low	Cooperative dynamics are evident in many scenarios. For instance, within a sports team during practice sessions, players support one another to enhance their skills while aligning with the team’s collective goals. In workplaces, collaborative brainstorming can spark innovative solutions as employees exchange ideas and leverage each other’s strengths. Community service projects thrive when volunteers collaborate by combining resources and talents for greater impact. Similarly, organizing a family vacation requires cooperation where everyone shares ideas and responsibilities to ensure an enjoyable experience for all involved. These examples demonstrate how trust, communication, and teamwork play crucial roles in achieving shared success.
high	When you’re investing or making business choices.
low	I do volunteer work at a soup kitchen, which has to absolutely depend on everyone pitching in together and staying committed to making it work when things go wrong. We’re doing tasks too big for any one person to manage solo, so we all have to try our best and trust everyone else to do the same.
high	Sometimes people would talk a lot at meetings but offer nothing. It was an effort to gain attention for themselves. I typically remained silent until I had something of real value to contribute.
high	I wanted to win I did my best and tried my hardest to do well for me and my teams
low	Doing in work within a community will require some degree of cooperative dynamics. For example organizing a neighborhood block yard sale, one would need to work with their community and neighbors to approve a date and time and to make sure enough households will participate.
low	Cooperative thoughts and behaviors can be found in workplace dynamics and in the familial setting
low	Cooperative dynamics are evident in many contexts. In sports teams, for instance, players harness each other’s strengths to pursue a shared objective, such as winning a game. Similarly, workplace environments benefit from team brainstorming sessions that embrace diverse viewpoints and foster collaboration on innovative solutions to challenges. Community service projects also highlight this spirit of cooperation; volunteers unite their skills and resources to address local issues with greater impact. Likewise, family settings demonstrate cooperative planning during events like vacations or celebrations by enhancing experiences through collaboration and accommodating everyone’s needs.
high	I think any sports related competition creates a very competitive dynamic, even amongst your own team. Sports uses the competitive desire to help teach important life lessons, such as the ability to never give up and continue to work hard through difficult situations.
high	I believe the workplace is going to be the place where the most competition is found. People want to do good for themselves and their families. I feel like it would be natural to have a little competition with your coworkers.
low	When I lived with my mother we did not get along. We found that writing letters to each other and other skills we learned help us think clearly. We collaborated together to not look at each other as enemies and worked together instead
high	Trying to get the best deal in a negotiation or convincing people to invest in your projects or businesses over other peoples’.
high	Other relevant situations are any where you need to think about timing and being bold enough to advocate for yourself. This could include bidding at an auction, or showing up early for a concert to be first in line.
low	Siblings often need to cooperate with each other and their parents to have a calm, peaceful home environment. Students of all ages should also learn how to cooperate, especially during group projects.
low	Outside of academics, cooperation happens in politics, justice, global affairs, in communities, in kitchens and restaurants, on sports teams, etc.
low	I would expect these sorts of cooperative thoughts and behaviors in an emergency situation. Rather than anyone getting frustrated or freaking out, each person took on a role as a leader but also, working as a single unit and making sure that our operation went as smoothly as possible.
low	when planning field trips to make sure all is covered. when designing safety protocols.
high	In my friend group, I have had to adapt a competitive side in order to speak or say something when we are in a larger group as others will speak loudly and you won’t get your turn to speak otherwise.
low	You can see this in other situations such as volunteer work or moving or family chores where lots of people have to cooperate to make many moving parts work together.
high	I think that some favorite foods may be in short supply soon and I will have to decide if I buy all of them when I see them at the store. I don’t like the idea that none will be available for others but I may have to accept it.
high	Nearly any situation can be improved by focusing oneself on internal goal setting and keeping ones focus inward
high	there is no other competitive dynamic i can think about
high	This can be found all over the sales world from real estate, to furniture.
low	Cooperative thoughts and behaviors exist in the workplace, personal relationships, community activities, and many places in every day life. People often have to work together with others to achieve a goal, whether it be large or small.
high	I can see this when applying for a promotion. If your coworkers also apply for a promotion you would want to do anything to have an edge on your “competition” which would mean doing more things for your team to show you are willing to go the extra mile. Maybe doing research on the position that you are applying to. And honing in on your interview skills so that you will do well on the day of.
high	I’d imagine sporting events, aiming for a promotion over another coworker, or trying to get a job where many other people are trying to get the same job would result in competitive behavior.
low	In most school or office settings it is important to cooperate and make the day go more smooth for all involved. You can tell walking into an office if they cooperate and flow together by how things run and the communication of everyone being on the same page
high	Other situations include my son’s tennis tournament where the stakes were high but the rules were loosely enforced. I noticed this and stepped in to help the junior referee make certain calls. Had I not done this, the integrity of the game would have been lost and my son may have been discouraged. My son ultimately won the tournament and learned how to be vocal player during competitions. Another situation involves hiring, I have rarely lost a candidate I recruited. This is due to building a personal relationship with the candidate. Understanding their goals, staying in touch with them via text, and taking an interest in their career. This has helped me build strong leadership teams.
low	I think working in a group project, especially when it involves a final grade and assessment of your knowledge, might bring about similar cooperative thoughts and behaviors. The “divide and conquer” mindset helps accomplish our tasks and even strengthens the group dynamic as everyone contributes what they can in terms of their skillset and knowledge.
low	I’ve seen it most often in team sports where a group of people have to work together to achieve a goal.
high	Whenever it comes to me making more money or getting a higher position or just something that will benefit me in the end, those thought will start coming in.
high	Other competitive thoguhts and behaviors are in business. This arena it would be reasonable to be competitive
low	I see cooperative dynamics work in completing many work tasks. They are also present when completing school work.
high	There are similar competitive behaviors at work when completing an assignment wanting to make sure you work with the right coworker to get the tasks done on time. Picking the wrong coworker who is lax may delay the project.
low	We worked together to take care of our dogs because my daughter and I each have two medical service dogs and five rescue dogs and sometimes you need backup. We worked together to do Uber Eats deliveries so we have enough extra money for food a dog food on top of the food stamp money. We worked together to pack up my apartment and put things in storage so we could drive our car and trailer back to our home state which is cheaper to live in than where we are now.
high	I’ve seen the same kind of situations in other interviews, such as clerical interview situations, where we had to type a paragraph in a certain amount of time, correctly
high	I think that this kind of competitive behavior translates to a lot of areas of life. Even in sports, having the mindset that you must do more/be better than others leads to success.
high	i cannot think of any other cut-throat situation i have been in
high	Panic-type situations I could also see people displaying the same competitive thoughts/behaviors. When you’re racing against a clock or are on a deadline you would be pushed to some drastic or out of character behaviors in order to succeed.
low	I think that you could find similar kinds of cooperative thoughts and behaviors in the workplace with a group of peers that are put together with the task of completing a project. Though they may all have different ideas and not agree, they need to be able to pull their ideas together collectively, and successfully complete the project.
high	Any competition that involves knowledge or skills. Trivia would be an example.
high	Competitive moments could take place during game nights.
high	I think you would see similar competitive behaviors in sports teams, in the dating world, and certain events such as trivia.
high	Similar competitive dynamics can often be seen in high-stakes job interviews, sales environments where individuals compete for top performance bonuses, or academic settings where students vie for limited scholarships or honors. These situations often push people to focus on personal success, highlight their achievements, and sometimes view peers as rivals rather than collaborators.
high	I am also competitive for my spouse’s attention. I often compete with males to see how I can serve her better
high	I could see this type of behavior inside of an educational institution. Most people compete for the number one spot in settings like that.
low	The easiest place where I would expect to see cooperative dynamics would be in the workplace. In a previous job, I was part of a large team that reviewed ballistic evidence from crime scenes and collected guns. We would often call each other over to verify potential leads or to get second opinions on work. In that example, the cooperation was mostly between employees of the same level. I think cooperative dynamics would be more important and impactful if it was operating across different levels in the organization.
low	In our second grade TBT meetings, we share data. The classes that do the best, the teachers discuss what they did that worked well, and what they chose NOT to do. We continuously learn from each other.
high	In a workplace most sports anywhere honestly humans are always competitive against each other, I feel like that is a natural part of life.
high	You can find these competitive dynamics all over the business world. When two rivals are competing for market share, everyone benefits since the two rivals can improve and progress while the customers are spoiled with choice. This sort of behavior sets standards and drives innovation when rivals are trying to best one another in a fair competition.
low	I have seen situations in role-playing games (D&D) where players must work together to accomplish a task. I also cooperate with colleagues to prepare scientific papers. I also think that parenting requires cooperation between members of the family.
low	Usually while playing a video game, or performing some sort of group activity. Something like playing the new popular video game “Split Fiction” which focuses its game play around coop aspects. Cooperative dynamics can also be found in activities like cleaning the beach or a park, they could also be found in a work place regardless if its in person or remote as everyone contributes to a part in a company. Off the top of my mind any music group needs to be cooperative to play well or at least the activity is enhanced when everyone cooperates.
high	You might see similar situations in any sort of contest or industry where the general public gets to decide the winner amongst a group of competitors.
low	learning together in group project or working with a customer to identify an issue collectively to have all parties share in the investment and success and not leave anyone liable or isolated
low	I think this kind of goal sharing is found everywhere. Probably all businesses work like that, having different people completing different goals so that they can sell a product.
high	boxing and getting world class training or racing and having the fastest parts . you must do whatever it takes to win
low	You can find cooperative thoughts and behaviors in team building. You can find them in group projects, regardless of if in work, at school, or at home.
high	Another similar situation could be vying for a position when a company is being taken over or bought out instead of shutting down completely
high	Another senerio was when i applied for a job at a top law firm. I refuse to share my material with anyone because i believed we might end up saying the same thing during the interview
low	group activities, group projects, ethical dilemmas, emergencies
high	in the workplace when there are multiple candidates competing for the same position or promotion, competition within athletics or arts for scholarships/awards
low	Any activities or games involving teams or other individuals. Working to complete a cumulative goal, in the workplace.
low	In a retail store environment, you may have some stockers calling in sick. This may require the store manager to call on other employees to fill in the role of stocking the shelves. Since recovery clerks would have knowledge of where merchandise was stocked, they would most likely be the first ones to be called upon by the manager about availability to work that day and possibly the next day.
high	It could be education-related, where 2 students compete for a good grade. (more A’s, for example)
high	There are plenty of situations where I might find similar competitive thoughts and behaviors. One example would be in a race (5k, 10k, marathon, etc), where pushing myself and not worrying about those around me could help me to finish faster. In general individual sports, where you don’t work in a team, would apply. Also any work dynamic where you are rewarded based on production metrics.
high	For me this happens quite often, even during my career. I am always needing to complete a deadline and I work with another individual that never met the same deadline. I always meet or beat the deadline and people have taken notice.
low	There are times when we need to setup for an event, or turn over the room for another and we can all pull together. Four of us work to put in service requests for things that occur in our building making sure those requests get submitted. Its nice that we have backups for this and all staff know to come to one of the four.
low	similar coorpative dynamics often show up in team sports where players rely on each others to win and support omne and others through challenges. they also appers in work projects especialy when team also meat a goal pressures.
low	Helping a friend just to do a favor with nothing expected in return
high	I see competitive thoughts as behaviors as a mom. Every mom wants their child to be the best. Every mom wants to be able to do it all: mothering, being a present spouse, work, put dinner on the table, clean, have self care time. Although I do recognize that at this point in my life it’s impossible to do all of that WELL, I do try and make myself out to other moms to be the person that has it all together. I have mom friends who consistently get caught in lies because they are trying to make themselves seem the best and on top of all the things life throws at them.
low	When I was in school and we had to do projects that involved teams, we each had to cooperate and do our part because one person slacking could cause I to fail. Other situations could be not helping your coworkers when they need help. When we all help each other we all succeed. Because each person will need help so we each need to help out anyway we can. We all need to adhere to team goals and policies. Cooperating with our team lead as well as our other team members leads to pay for performance and better customer experiences.
low	My son is marrying in the near future and I had to discuss the plans with his fiance and her mother that was also a time where I listened carefully, was open to what they said but then also provided some of my own ideas.
high	Things that might have competitive thoughts and behaviors include job interviews and professional sports.
high	everytime game i play im competitive and it makes me look like a sore loser
low	Maybe during a natural disaster, like a hurricane, community members could come together and help everyone pick up debris and fallen trees. I could also see cooperative thoughts and behaviors on a sports team. If everyone does what is necessary to win then we can succeed as a group even if some members have to make sacrifices.
low	Speaking to the staff at my child’s school regarding situations where he feels alienated or discouraged by not doing the best on school work, or interacting with his peers, and feels unsupported by those in charge.
low	It’s everywhere. I see it at home with my husband when we are trying to figure out how to raise our child together. I see it with friends when we work through a misunderstanding or try to problem solve a situation together
low	I think this kind of thing happens often in a workplace setting, whether you are working a part-time job in a restaurant or a full-time job in a corporate office setting. I think the overarching theme is that unexpected problems arise often and can arise at any time. It is important that everyone takes a collective mindset in these times of crisis and works with those around them to ensure that everyone can solve problems together. I have been in a number of corporate settings where someone becomes ill unexpectedly, someone is terminated or fired ahead of an important deadline and leaves the rest of the team to burden their responsibilities. I believe any environment that requires collaboration with others is subject to this type of situation and employers covet people who think and act quickly to address them.
low	In a different situation, someone may drop a handful of items in a grocery store. Another person comes over to help pick them up, therefore preventing other people from stepping on them, and making the person who dropped them fell better.
high	When we had to pull our daughter out of the public school system in middle school because she had such bad anxiety from going to the school.
low	This could happen also in a school setting, where there is a group project, maybe someone is not going to finish the portion they were assigned and people step in. It could be many work situations for all types of different companies. It could happen in a hospital where someone is in charge of a group of patients, but they can’t get to all of them in the time allotted and need to ask for help or others step in to help.
high	Working hard for an upcoming promotion. Participating in a fund raising event for a good cause and raising the most funds. Competing against others to be selected to attend out .of state workshops.
high	This could really apply to any general “sales” job where income depends on how well you’re doing your job
high	Any time thinking out of the box is helpful is applicable. Being willing to put in the effort to think of and try new things.
high	in corporate promotion, especially when there is only one leadership spot available, colleagues may act like rivals in high school, or scholarship applications,students often compete intensely withholding tips, or resources to gain an edge . similarly in startups pitching to investors, founders might keep an idea secrets or try to outshine others to secure funding . in all these cases, people are driven by limited opportunities and success often goes to the most strategic or aggressive competitor.
high	I can see something similar happening in sports, maybe in some personal life situations.
high	Trying to land a job, playing sports, playing online video games.
low	When I work with a new coworker, it is very apparent that she and I have similar work strategies and work well together. We are able to bounce ideas off of each other to reach a successful outcome.
low	Good cooperative thoughts and behaviors are important in relationships too- particularly with family and friends. They help avoid disruption, and lead to better outcomes when everyone gets to share in decisions and solving problems. It also helps to feel valued.
low	I filled in for a supervisor on vacation for two weeks and had to get all members of our team aligned on several projects. I had to act cooperatively, with sensitivity to the fact that I had no real authority as a temporary replacement. Employees seemed to react well to the cooperative approach, which helped us complete tasks.
low	When a family has an emergency, it is usually collectively that the family must come together to solve what issue there may be.
low	Dealing with with any person outside of work. Cooperation is key to human interaction and helps things go by more smoothly. Without cooperation there would be no progress.
high	Most of the time the competitive actions stem from ego. There are situations where also someone older is competing with someone that is younger.
high	Athletics, going to the gym are prime examples. However, I think being competitive is a positive in most situations, as long as you don’t go overboard and make it harmful to yourself and others.
low	Almost every day at work I see cooperative thoughts and behaviors. Being an engineer, we have to cooperate and work with each other and different groups of people to get our jobs and projects done in a timely manner.
high	Entering contests where there can only be a small number of winners inspires competitiveness necessarily since one must be the very best in order to make it worthwhile. Any game-like situation also naturally brings out competitive behaviors.
high	I think our whole society is geared towards this competitive nature. If you do not view your daily life as a competition then you will likely be left for the scraps. This is the only way to be successful and it applies to almost every situation you can think of.
high	I can see this kind of scenario playing out in political situations (not just at the national level, but down to the PTA level). When it comes to being elected to a position, you’re selling yourself, your policies, and you ability to deliver on your strategic initiatives in support of what your constituents have expressed are their goals. Politics can be cutthroat, and there is a lot of lying and backstabbing on the part of the candidates more often than not. Politicians have a reputation for making promises they don’t intend to keep. I believe in this situation aggressive honestly is a good strategy. Being up front about why you feel you are a better choice than the competition shows strength and confidence. Lying about them to win shows a lack of integrity, and lying about what you can and will accomplish for the electorate may earn you short-term gains, but will inevitably lead to anger and mistrust later on. At best, you end up ousted during the next election, at worst, you wind up with people who wish you harm.
high	A triathlon or other individual competition is very competitive. Debate and spelling bee teams in school are also competitive.
low	This could apply in any situation where that a multiple tasks that can be performed simultaneously
low	I feel like in a job situation you also need to learn how to work on a team and cooperate with others since you are being told what to do and what you can and cannot do. You rarely can act as an individual
high	These same thoughts and behaviors, I believe, can be found in most all situations where there is something concerning money to be gained. It is a trait most are born with, even if not acknowledged until needing to do so.
low	When a large group shows up with out notice and we are not prepared, if everyone pitches in a little bit keeps the floor running smoothly and does not neglect the customers already there and gets the large group settled as fast as possible. With out working together everyone could lack service.
high	Similar thoughts and behaviors may be found in people fighting for a promotion
high	I could imagine jobs such as in cybersecurity or IT college courses that required colleagues to use a lot of critical thinking. In order to pass, they would need to learn the subjects as much as possible. If a person were to fall below expectations, I would imagine the reputation being tarnished with possible consequences of loosing prestige in the workplace or failing a course.
high	When playing sports, playing sports basketball, football, volleyball. People go into a different mode. Even when debating against others, sometimes people change, become more aggressive for a short while. People change their style of personality to fit the moment.
low	Working with any external or even internal teams require cooperative effort.
high	THE RIVALRY BETWEEN MAJOR BEVERAGE COMPANIES LIKE COCA- COLA AND PEPSI IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE, AS IS THE COMPETITION BETWEEN AIRLINES IN AN INDUSTRY.
low	I see cooperative thoughts usually when people are not provided alternatives and are forced to cooperate to create the most harmonious environments for their personal self. People will cooperate when something goes awry, like an natural disaster or personal emergency. When a loved one has to be taken to the hospital, people are likely to cooperate since they are faced with less options and know the leash for poor behavior is shorter. People might cooperate more in complex design scenarios like setting up and expo or farmers market. They will advocate for their own benefit but are also likely to compromise in effort to get the event moving and create a scenario in which most people are satisfied. People will cooperate usually at places of work, where there is a social element of having to get along as a group.
high	Any situation in the workplace where there is competition for budget or staff resources could result in these types of behaviors.
low	I think it can also be found in our interaction with other colleagues. There are times where we must consult with a physician or nurse about a particular care partner. In those consults we must cooperate with other colleagues for the benefit of the care partner.
low	Community events where you are trying to help local people, helping extended family members, some work projects, etc
high	I think this competitive dynamics could be found in any type of individual sport such as tennis or athletics, I would say also in sport teams where you fight for a position thanks o your skills and the desire to achieve it.
high	Due to my rambling from before, I think I’ve effectively described the kinds of competitive thoughts and behaviors that show up across social deduction games, and also appear in others like my friend. Separate from social deduction however, this can also appear in a general life-sense. I’m driven to succeed in life in general, as if competition- competing with a metaphorical nay-sayer that tells me I cannot make it. This drives me to apply myself more intensely than I would otherwise.
low	I think it’s similar in certain other high stress situations where it’s easier for people to come together to work through it rather than fight or argue about it. Emergencies can force people to act as a unit rather than individuals.
high	When someone decides to stop talking to you because they feel like they are doing better than you. You decide it’s time to improve your lifestyle
low	Brainstorming, troubleshooting, determining how to start a project or initiative, at home when determining plans for the weekend or dinner recipes to make. At school when working on group projects. In life when purchasing group gifts for a birthday, wedding or holiday.
low	A movie theater is not the only job where reallocation of resources may be needed. If I were to work at a supermarket’s liquor store and somebody called off sick from the main store, that would leave the much more spacious main store at risk of underperformance. If there were two people at the liquor store, I would make sure one was reallocated to the main store to help stock shelves. After all, reallocation can always be key.
high	New release sales of special products, like new video game system releases you see people line up early to try to snag a high demand item before it sells out.
high	Well, in survival, it is fairly consistent. People generally follow Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, so their behavior is easier to guess than in other situations. There are many ways of overcoming this, though. Some choose to take what others have, others team up to help each other, and others choose to distance themselves from the conflicts. There are many other strategies, but these are just the ones off the top of my head.
low	People need to learn to work together and problem solve as a team. some things cannot be solved alone.
low	You might see cooperative dynamics in childhood play, community events / volunteering, family dynamics
high	I think withholding information is a very common competitive dynamic. In my current job, we work with data from different companies and they all make us sign agreements that we will not share their information with others. This is intended to keep their data away from competitors.
high	I think about this when trying and trying to avoid heavy traffic or congestion.
low	Cooperation happen in team sport group project and work task where people support each other to succeed
high	I think this kind of behavior happens in athletic competitions. While there is a sense of comradery and sportsmanship, there is also a sense of wanting to win and be the best. I think that is the nature of competitive sports. I also think that mentality exists in the workplace. It is understood we are working towards a common goal there are also promotions and raises at stake in the corporate world. Ultimately people are driven to improve their own circumstances over the circumstances of those around them.
low	I think these types of cooperative dynamics can be found in any industry where employees need to have specialized knowledge, only contribute to a small part of a whole, and they also aren’t pitted against each other in competition, so like education, libraries, public service, etc. I think you also see these types of dynamics in service or blue collar jobs, like restaurants, where everyone has a different role in getting the food to the table, or in construction, where people bring specialized knowledge (drywall, wiring, concrete, etc.) to build a building. In my own organization, I see cooperative dynamics like this throughout many of our projects, like the ebook package acquisition, but also a recent project to relocate a collection of DVDs or to solve a problem about resources not displaying correctly in the catalog.
low	Literally any departments working together to help get to the point we need to be able to take care of our clients and to acquire more clients.
low	Working together on a project, creating something together, covering for other people when they are out of office.
low	When investigating customer complaints we’ve been able to work as a team to find the root cause or solution.
high	Sports is number one for me and probably as a doctor
high	In competitive esports, I try to assert dominance while maintaining the position of power. Stopping opposing players from overtaking my position
low	Politically, I think cooperative thoughts and behaviors towards a common goal helps get a candidate into office. People coming together who have shared values and express them and are willing to share those sentiments openly to others or in group dynamics works.
low	I see similar thoughts and behaviours in a lot of aspects of life. I’m currently planning a girls day out at a Padres game next week and I have to collaborate with the girls on the details of the night so we all know what to expect, what to wear, how much money to bring, etc… So everyone has a good time
low	Another time is my most recent job as a test scorer. We had tests from over 50,000 students, all writing about the same subject, all having to be scored by a certain time. We worked together to get the task done not only on time, but sooner than anticipated. It took all of us, as obviously that many tests would not have been able to be scored by any one person.
high	Last time I felt this competitive was honestly back in middle school when with each report card we would get our place on a class-wide ranking depending on your GPA. I consistently held that number one spot for 3 years in a row, probably because my mindset was always to not get down from there.
low	I think this was also true for group projects in college. If one person didn’t do their research or prepare their portion of the presentation, we all looked unprepared and irresponsible and our grade suffered as a result.
high	I see similar dynamics in competitive gaming. I do not participate but have family members who participate in video game tournaments. I know that they do not ever let others win just for the fun of it, even if someone they are against is a good friend or a young kid because the prize on the line is always money. They also have a personal duty to not play badly because it makes them look dishonest.
high	In a office environment where a team is pursuing to achieve recognition by successfully landing clients and projects.
high	You may feel this way when having to work on group projects in general or work on a team. Maybe even company wide fundraisers too. Sports in general are also very competitive as well as trivia.
high	I think any circumstance that would find me in competition with another person for some kind of reward would see the same thoughts and behaviors.
high	I think that competitive dynamics come through when there is something to be won like accolades or awards.
low	In a hospital, a prison, a school or even a factory or manufacturing facility.
high	There are many places or things that can be seen or felt as competitive. Your work life can be competitive, whether that’s for a job position or getting the project you want. Video games and board games are very competitive. In all of them you want to win and you want to get ahead.
high	There are other situations where I might find similar competitive thoughts and behaviors. One such instance is when there are group projects. Another situation would be team sports where there is a trophy or championship to be won.
low	THE INCLUDES BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS, SOCIAL STRUCTURES, AND EVEN ECONOMIC INTERACTIONS. UNDERSTANDING THESE DYNAMICS IS CRUCIAL FOR MANY DISCIPLINES, FROM EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY TO BUSINESS MANAGEMENT.
low	Trying to solve a puzzle with friends. Playing a team sport.
high	A person may study co-workers to identify their deficiencies and then strive to improve themselves in those areas to be more valuable in the workplace.
low	It would be common to see this in personal projects as well. Home improvement projects where friends and or family assist to complete the tasl.
high	The same spirit can be found everywhere. It can be found in school, in the family structure, at work. You can even be competitive with your friends. I think competitiveness is healthy in doses. It can push people higher.
low	There are similar kinds of cooperative behaviors in all if the educational and public programing we do in my job
low	Some other situations that cooperative dynamics can be seen is during field trips with 100 plus students. All staff and coworkers have to be cooperative with others to make sure the field trip is successful and that no students are lost or left behind during these outings.
low	Well just staff working together in a shared workplace in general is crucial. All too many times we place people together in a situation with very little knowledge of how they will work together.
low	In things like a team at work, maybe a school project, maybe board members coming together to agree on a situation.
high	You may see this in other sports or also educational fields where only some people succeed. Trying to get a job when there are many other applicants may be like this as well.
high	In others, I could easily see this happening in the workplace. Life is not really like a game to me however, so I can’t see myself doing this. There are millions of people who want nothing more but to get ahead in their career though, and I could see constantly strategizing and observing situations working to have others get ahead.
high	I think competition can be found in many facets of life, especially in the workplace or in a school. I find whether you’re a worker or a student, similar group dynamics come into play. Whether it’s a job, or maybe an academic position, competition will spice things up so that people are more willing to go the extra mile to be recognized.
low	I also work in a wedding photography setting where I have to collaborate with videographers, reverends and the wedding coordinator. It is a little similar to the previous situation, in regard to working collaboratively as a team. Typically I am the freelance photographer and even though I typically have a way that I work with my clients, I have to adapt to the person that also hired me.
low	These dynamics are most likely seen in other academic settings, as well as certain work settings. It’s important to cooperate to achieve desirable outcomes, and I think most people are willing to cooperate with each other to achieve the best outcome possible. It just makes things easier if people cooperate with each other.
high	I believe all sports can be viewed in a similar manner. Other examples may include video games or board games which involve team strategy and similar dynamics.
high	Anywhere that people are pitted against each other and where there is a reward at stake. Anything from Christmas decorations to cake baking.
low	Sports, collaborative thinking, being on a team, collaborating for dinner parties
low	A neighborhood initiative to improve some issue or problem would have similar types of cooperation. A town hall meeting to discuss things that are going on at a very local level might inspire people to collectively get together and discuss an action plan of how to proceed. A community get-together in a park would probably have lots of people from the area volunteering to get involved, or at least spread the word.
high	A similar situation would be found during political speeches. You take what your opponent is saying and you use it against them. This method puts pressure on them to answer for their actions and keeps the spotlight off of you. During debate class we were told to use this tactic whenever appropriate.
high	Other situations where you might find similar kinds of competitive thoughts and behaviors would be in e-sports. In games such as counter-strike or other first person shooters where situational awareness, game sense, strategic thinking, and raw skill determine who will be the winner. This is very similar to a trading situation.
low	its mostly situations like that where a truck comes in, the customer needs it back ASAP and we end up finding multiple issues making the unit unsafe to operate without repairs, so multiple techs will drop what they’re working on and focus on that truck so it can leave in a timely manner
high	Anytime I am playing a game or a sport I take on the same mentality. I want good things for the other person, but ultimately I’d like to win.
low	Cooperation is also necessary in team activities such as sports. One example of this is when I use to play basketball in highschool. If we didn’t have a team effort and played for the glory of the individual we would fail. When we stuck by cooperation we succeeded and.
high	Generally at work things can become competitive in order to achieve the better positions and promotions and such.
low	I think there are many situations where someone would be flexible and work in a position that isn’t their usual position to help out a coworker or the organizations. I did this several times while working as a bartender in a restaurant a few years ago. I would regularly cover host or serving shifts if one of my coworkers needed me to. I’ve also had managers who worked bar shifts for me when I was sick, even though it wasn’t their usual position.
high	Any situation that involves my children. When I applied for income based housing in an apartment complex that had limited space. Getting my son enrolled in a better school district, getting him accepted into an auto mechanic program that only accepts 40 students also brought out these thoughts and behaviors.
high	I would say you’d see this kind of competition in many legal situations in the courthouse. I imagine that lawyers do this often for their clients and prepare clients to go up against the other side of the argument. This could also happen in the workplace if one employee was spreading misinformation about another and having to defend themselves in order to be able to keep their job. Possibly among groups of friends and peers if one is hurting the other with inaccurate portrayals of them and causing them to not be able to create connections.
low	Every time we focus on our particular skills, doing what we do best to achieve results instead of trying to do everything on our own
low	when working as a team or working on a group project. when ev eryone works on areas of their strengths it benefits the whole group
high	Intense competition in sports playoffs, exams, or job promotions fuels achievement.

Relationship expectancies

What leads someone to have good relationships?

Below, we list some attributes and behaviors that a person might display in a group of other people.

What do you think is the impact of each of these things on whether that person has good relationships with others in that group? (1 = Strong negative effect on relationships to 7 = Strong positive effect on relationships)

1. Enjoying having control over other members of the group
2. Often trying to get their own way regardless of what others in the group may want
4. Trying to control others rather than permit others to control them
6. Having members of the group know it is better to let him/her have his/her way

Cronbach’s alpha = 0.82

Influence expectancies

Below, we list some attributes and behaviors that a person might display in a group of other people.

What do you think is the impact of each of these things on whether that person has influence over others in that group? (1 = Strong negative effect on influence to 7 = Strong positive effect on influence)

1. Enjoying having control over other members of the group
2. Often trying to get their own way regardless of what others in the group may want
4. Trying to control others rather than permit others to control them
6. Having members of the group know it is better to let him/her have his/her way

Cronbach’s alpha = 0.87

Self-reported hypothetical dominance

Now, we ask you to think of your ideal behavior and characteristics at work. Tell us how you want to behave and be seen at work in the weeks and months ahead.

Please indicate the extent to which each statement below accurately describes how you want to be at work in the weeks and months ahead (1 = Not at all to 7 = Very much)

1. I would enjoy having control over others
2. I would try to get my own way at work regardless of what others may want
4. I would try to control others rather than permit them to control me
6. Others would know that it is better to let me have my way at work

Cronbach’s alpha = 0.87

Competitive Worldview

1. It’s a dog-eat-dog world where you have to be ruthless at times
   
2. Life is not governed by the “survival of the fittest.” We should let compassion and moral laws be our guide [R]
   
3. There is really no such thing as “right” and “wrong.” It all boils down to what you can get away with
   
4. One of the most useful skills a person should develop is how to look someone straight in the eye and lie convincingly
   
5. It is better to be loved than to be feared [R]
   
6. My knowledge and experience tell me that the social world we live in is basically a competitive “jungle” in which the fittest survive and succeed, in which power, wealth, and winning are everything, and might is right
   
7. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and never do anything unfair to someone else [R]
   
8. Basically people are objects to be quietly and coolly manipulated for one’s own benefit
   
9. Honesty is the best policy in all cases [R]
   
10. One should give others the benefit of the doubt. Most people are trustworthy if you have faith in them [R]

Cronbach’s alpha = 0.8

Relationshiop concerns

Again, please indicate the extent to which each statement below accurately describes how you want to be at work in the weeks and months ahead.

To what extent would you care about having good relationships with the people you work with?
To what extent would it bother you if you did NOT have good relationships with other people at work?

r = 0.64

Analysis

Competitive Worldview

cond	N	Mean	SD
high	98	2.882653	0.8659689
low	95	2.561053	0.7909454

t(190.33) = 2.7, p = 0.008, Lower CI = 0.09, Upper CI = 0.56, d = 0.39.

Relationship expectancies

cond	N	Mean	SD
high	98	2.377551	0.946538
low	95	2.094737	1.113373

t(184.23) = 1.9, p = 0.059, Lower CI = -0.01, Upper CI = 0.58, d = 0.28.

Influence expectancies

cond	N	Mean	SD
high	98	2.966837	1.280120
low	95	2.373684	1.259999

t(190.95) = 3.24, p = 0.001, Lower CI = 0.23, Upper CI = 0.95, d = 0.47.

Dominance

cond	N	Mean	SD
high	98	2.979592	1.268001
low	95	2.339474	1.211051

t(190.96) = 3.59, p = 0, Lower CI = 0.29, Upper CI = 0.99, d = 0.52.

Relationship concern

cond	N	Mean	SD
high	98	3.540816	1.0951474
low	95	3.715790	0.9011005

t(186.12) = -1.21, p = 0.226, Lower CI = -0.46, Upper CI = 0.11, d = -0.18.

Mediation model 1: Relationship expectancies

a = 0.28 (p = 0.059)
b = 0.62 (p = 0)
direct = 0.64 (p = 0)
indirect = 0.47 (p = 0.003)

Mediation model 2: Compliance expectancies

a = 0.59 (p = 0.001)
b = 0.45 (p = 0)
direct = 0.64 (p = 0)
indirect = 0.37 (p = 0.023)

Mediation model 3: Simultaneous mediators

Relationship a = 0.28 (p = 0.059)
Relationship b = 0.45 (p = 0)
Influence a = 0.59 (p = 0.001)
Influence b = 0.22 (p = 0.004)
direct = 0.64 (p = 0)
indirect = 0.38 (p = 0.015)

Correlations

Full sample

Correlation matrix

df_recd_elg %>%
  dplyr::select(CWV:care_rel) %>%
  corPlot(upper = TRUE,stars = TRUE,xsrt = 270)

Mediation model: Relationship expectancies

a = 0.58 (p = 0)
b = 0.42 (p = 0)
direct = 0.84 (p = 0)
indirect = 0.59 (p = 0)

Mediation model: Relationship expectancies and influene expectancies

Relationship a = 0.58 (p = 0)
Relationship b = 0.25 (p = 0.007)
Influence a = 0.54 (p = 0)
Influence b = 0.22 (p = 0.001)
direct = 0.84 (p = 0)
indirect = 0.57 (p = 0)

High CWV condition

Correlation matrix

df_recd_elg %>%
  filter(cond == "high") %>% 
  dplyr::select(CWV:care_rel) %>%
  corPlot(upper = TRUE,stars = TRUE,xsrt = 270)

Mediation model: Relationship expectancies

a = 0.34 (p = 0.002)
b = 0.28 (p = 0.016)
direct = 0.83 (p = 0)
indirect = 0.73 (p = 0)

Mediation model: Relationship expectancies and influene expectancies

Relationship a = 0.34 (p = 0.002)
Relationship b = 0.14 (p = 0.283)
Influence a = 0.24 (p = 0.117)
Influence b = 0.24 (p = 0.009)
direct = 0.83 (p = 0)
indirect = 0.73 (p = 0)

Low CWV condition

Correlation matrix

df_recd_elg %>%
  filter(cond == "low") %>% 
  dplyr::select(CWV:care_rel) %>%
  corPlot(upper = TRUE,stars = TRUE,xsrt = 270)

Mediation model: Relationship expectancies

a = 0.86 (p = 0)
b = 0.62 (p = 0)
direct = 0.75 (p = 0)
indirect = 0.22 (p = 0.157)

Mediation model: Relationship expectancies and influene expectancies

Relationship a = 0.86 (p = 0)
Relationship b = 0.51 (p = 0.001)
Influence a = 0.8 (p = 0)
Influence b = 0.13 (p = 0.263)
direct = 0.75 (p = 0)
indirect = 0.2 (p = 0.185)