Post on 05-Mar-2016
description
7/22/2015 WhyCanSomeKidsHandlePressureWhileOthersFallApart?TheNewYorkTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magazine/whycansomekidshandlepressurewhileothersfallapart.html 1/13
http://nyti.ms/UuJ1qe
Magazine
WhyCanSomeKidsHandlePressureWhileOthersFallApart?ByPOBRONSONandASHLEYMERRYMAN FEB.6,2013
NoahMuthlertookhisfirststatestandardizedtestinthirdgradeattheSpringCoveElementarySchoolinRoaringSpring,Pa.Itwasamiserableexperience,saidhismother,KathleenMuthler.Hewasagoodstudentinaprogramforgiftedchildren.But,Muthlersaid,hewascryinginmyarmsthenightbeforethetest,saying:Imnotready,Mom.Theydidntteachuseverythingthatwillbeonthetest.Infourthgrade,hewasupsetthewholeweekbeforetheexam.Hemanifestsitphysically,hismothersaid.Hegotheadachesandstomachaches.Hewouldasknottogotoschool.Notagoodsleeperanyway,Noahwouldslipdownstairsafteranhourtossinginbedandaskhismomtoliedownwithhimuntilhefellasleep.Infifthgrade,theanxietylastedasolidmonthbeforethetest.Evenafterthetest,hecouldntletitgo.Hewouldwonderaboutquestionshefearedhemisunderstood,Muthlersaid.
Sothisyear,MuthlerisoptingNoahoutofthePennsylvaniaSystemofSchoolAssessment,usingabroadreligiousandethicalexemption.JustknowinghewontbetakingthetestsinMarchhasputNoahinabetterframeofmindaboutschool.Thepressureisoffhisshouldersnow,hismothersaid.Whenhedoesntgraspaconceptimmediately,hecantalkitthroughwithoutanypanic.Helooksforwardtoscienceclassandmathclassagain,Muthlersaid.Hewantstobeachemicalornuclearengineer.
7/22/2015 WhyCanSomeKidsHandlePressureWhileOthersFallApart?TheNewYorkTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magazine/whycansomekidshandlepressurewhileothersfallapart.html 2/13
MuthlerunderstandsNoahsdistressmoremysteriousiswhyhersonJacob,whoisineighthgrade,isnttheleastbitunnervedbythesametests.He,too,isinthegiftedprogram,butthatseemstogivehimbreezyconfidence,notfear.Youwouldthinkhedoesntevencare,Muthlermarveled.Noahhasthepanicandanxietyforbothofthem.Nevertheless,shewilloptoutJacobfromthetests,too,tobeconsistent.
Neverbeforehasthepressuretoperformonhighstakestestsbeensointenseormeantsomuchforachildsacademicfuture.Asmoreschooldistrictsstriveforaccountability,standardizedtestshaveproliferated.Thepressuretodowellonachievementtestsforcollegeisfilteringitswaydowntolowergrades,sothateventhirdgradersfeelasiftheyareontrial.Studentsgetthemessagethatclassworkisntwhatcounts,andthatthestandardizedexamisthetruermeasure.Sure,youdidyourhomeworkandwroteagreathistoryreportbutthistestisgoingtofindouthowsmartyoureallyare.Criticsarguethatallthistesttakingischurningoutsleepdeprived,overworked,miserablechildren.
Butsomechildrenactuallydobetterundercompetitive,stressfulcircumstances.WhycanJacobthriveunderpressure,whileitundoesNoah?Andhowshouldthatdifferenceinformthewaywethinkabouthighstakestesting?AnemergingfieldofresearchandapioneeringstudyfromTaiwanhasbeguntooffersomeclues.Likeanykindofhumanbehavior,ourresponsetocompetitivepressureisderivedfromacomplexsetoffactorshowwewereraised,ourskillsandexperience,thehormonesthatwemarinatedinasfetuses.Thereisalsoageneticcomponent:Oneparticulargene,referredtoastheCOMTgene,couldtoalargedegreeexplainwhyonechildismorepronetobeaworrier,whileanothermaybeunflappable,orinthememorablephrasingofDavidGoldman,ageneticistattheNationalInstitutesofHealth,moreofawarrior.
Understandingtheirpropensitytobecomestressedandhowtodealwithitcanhelpchildrencompete.Stressturnsouttobefarmorecomplicatedthan
7/22/2015 WhyCanSomeKidsHandlePressureWhileOthersFallApart?TheNewYorkTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magazine/whycansomekidshandlepressurewhileothersfallapart.html 3/13
weveassumed,andfarmoreunderourcontrolthanweimagine.Unlikelongtermstress,shorttermstresscanactuallyhelppeopleperform,andviewingitthatwaychangesitseffect.Evenforthosegeneticallypredisposedtoanxiety,theantidoteisntnecessarilylesscompetitionitsmorecompetition.Itjustneedstobetherightkind.
EveryMayinTaiwan,morethan200,000ninthgradechildrentaketheBasicCompetencyTestforJuniorHighSchoolStudents.Thisisnotjustanytest.Thescoreswilldeterminewhichhighschoolthestudentsareadmittedtooriftheygetintooneatall.Only39percentofTaiwanesechildrenmakethecut,withtherestdivertedtovocationalschoolsorbackupprivateschools.Thetest,inessence,determinesthefutureforTaiwanesechildren.
Thetestisincrediblydifficultansweringthemultiplechoicequestionsrequiresknowledgeofchemistry,physics,advancedalgebraandgeometry,andtestinglastsfortwodays.Manystudentsgotocramschoolalmosteverynighttostudyallthesubjectsonthetest,saysChunYenChang,directoroftheScienceEducationCenteratNationalTaiwanNormalUniversity.JustoneortwopercentagepointsdifferencewilldragyoufromtheNo.1highschoolinthelocalregiondowntoNo.3or4.
Inotherwords,theexamwasaperfect,realworldexperimentforstudyingtheeffectsofgeneticsonhighstakescompetition.Changandhisresearchteamtookbloodsamplesfrom779studentswhohadrecentlytakentheBasicCompetencyTestinthreeregionsofTaiwan.Theymatchedeachstudentsgenotypetohisorhertestscore.
Theresearcherswereinterestedinasinglegene,theCOMTgene.Thisgenecarriestheassemblycodeforanenzymethatclearsdopaminefromtheprefrontalcortex.Thatpartofthebrainiswhereweplan,makedecisions,anticipatefutureconsequencesandresolveconflicts.Dopaminechangesthefiringrateofneurons,speedingupthebrainlikeaturbocharger,saysSilvia
7/22/2015 WhyCanSomeKidsHandlePressureWhileOthersFallApart?TheNewYorkTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magazine/whycansomekidshandlepressurewhileothersfallapart.html 4/13
Bunge,associateprofessorofpsychologyandneuroscienceattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley.Ourbrainsworkbestwhendopamineismaintainedatanoptimallevel.Youdontwanttoomuch,ortoolittle.Byremovingdopamine,theCOMTenzymehelpsregulateneuralactivityandmaintainmentalfunction.
Heresthething:Therearetwovariantsofthegene.Onevariantbuildsenzymesthatslowlyremovedopamine.Theothervariantbuildsenzymesthatrapidlycleardopamine.Weallcarrythegenesforoneortheother,oracombinationofthetwo.
Inlabexperiments,peoplehavebeengivenavarietyofcognitivetaskscomputerizedpuzzlesandgames,portionsofI.Q.testsandresearchershaveconsistentlyfoundthat,undernormalconditions,thosewithslowactingenzymeshaveacognitiveadvantage.Theyhavesuperiorexecutivefunctionandallitentails:theycanreason,solveproblems,orchestratecomplexthoughtandbetterforeseeconsequences.Theycanconcentratebetter.Thisadvantageappearstoincreasewiththenumberofyearsofeducation.
Thebrainsofthepeoplewiththeothervariant,meanwhile,arecomparativelylackadaisical.Thefastactingenzymesremovetoomuchdopamine,sotheoveralllevelistoolow.Theprefrontalcortexsimplydoesntworkaswell.
Onthatscorealone,havingslowactingenzymessoundsbetter.Thereseemstobeatradeoff,however,totheseslowenzymes,onetriggeredbystress.Intheabsenceofstress,thereisacognitiveadvantage.Butwhenunderstress,theadvantagegoesawayandinfactreversesitself.
Stressfloodstheprefrontalcortexwithdopamine,saysAdeleDiamond,professorofdevelopmentalcognitiveneuroscienceattheUniversityofBritishColumbia.Alittleboosterhitofdopamineisnormallyagoodthing,butthebigsurgebroughtonbystressistoomuchforpeoplewiththeslowactingenzyme,whichcantremovethedopaminefastenough.Muchlikefloodingacar
7/22/2015 WhyCanSomeKidsHandlePressureWhileOthersFallApart?TheNewYorkTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magazine/whycansomekidshandlepressurewhileothersfallapart.html 5/13
enginewithtoomuchgasoline,prefrontalcortexfunctionmeltsdown,Diamondsays.
OtherresearchhasfoundthatthosewiththeslowactingenzymeshavehigherI.Q.s,onaverage.OnestudyofBeijingschoolchildrencalculatedtheadvantagetobe10I.Q.points.Butitwasunclearifthecognitiveadvantagestheyhadwouldstaywiththemwhentheywereunderstressoutsidethesecurityofthelabenvironment.
TheTaiwanstudywasthefirsttolookattheCOMTgeneinahighstakes,reallifesetting.WouldtheI.Q.advantageholdup,orwouldthestressundermineperformance?
Itwasthelatter.TheTaiwanesestudentswiththeslowactingenzymessankonthenationalexam.Onaverage,theyscored8percentlowerthanthosewiththefastactingenzymes.ItwasasifsomeoftheAstudentsandBstudentstradedplacesattesttime.
Iamnotagainstpressure.Actually,pressureisgood[for]someone,Changcommented.Butthosewhoaremorevulnerabletostresswillbemoredisadvantaged.
Asof2014,TaiwanwillnolongerrequireallstudentstotaketheBasicCompetencyTest,asthecountrymovesto12yearcompulsoryeducation.Thesystemwillnolongerbebuilttoweedoutchildren,buttokeepthemallinschool.Butacademicallyadvancedstudentswillstilltakesomekindofentranceexam.Andthoseelitestudentswillstillfeelthepressure,which,itbearsrepeating,willhurtsomebuthelpothers.
Thepeoplewhoperformbestinnormalconditionsmaynotbethesamepeoplewhoperformbestunderstress,Diamondsays.Peoplebornwiththefastactingenzymesactuallyneedthestresstoperformtheirbest.Tothem,theeverydayisunderwhelmingitdoesntexcitethemenoughtostimulatethesharpnessofmindofwhichtheyarecapable.Theybenefitfromthatsurgein
7/22/2015 WhyCanSomeKidsHandlePressureWhileOthersFallApart?TheNewYorkTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magazine/whycansomekidshandlepressurewhileothersfallapart.html 6/13
dopamineitraisestheleveluptooptimal.TheyarelikeSupermanemergingfromthephoneboothintimesofcrisistheirabilitiestoconcentrateandsolveproblemsgoup.
SomescholarshavesuggestedthatweareallWarriorsorWorriers.ThosewithfastactingdopamineclearersaretheWarriors,readyforthreateningenvironmentswheremaximumperformanceisrequired.ThosewithslowactingdopamineclearersaretheWorriers,capableofmorecomplexplanning.Overthecourseofevolution,bothWarriorsandWorrierswerenecessaryforhumantribestosurvive.
Intruth,becauseweallgetoneCOMTgenefromourfatherandonefromourmother,abouthalfofallpeopleinheritoneofeachgenevariation,sotheyhaveamixoftheenzymesandaresomewhereinbetweentheWarriorsandtheWorriers.AboutaquarterofpeoplecarryWarrioronlygenes,andaquarterofpeopleWorrieronly.
AnumberofresearchstudiesarelookingatCOMT,includingseveralinvolvingtheAmericanmilitary.ResearchersatBrownUniversityhavebeenstudyingCOMTsconnectiontoposttraumaticstressdisorderinveteransofthewarsinIraqandAfghanistan.QuinnKennedy,aresearchpsychologistattheNavalPostgraduateSchool,isstudyinghowthegenecorrelateswithpilotperformance.DouglasC.Johnson,aprofessorofpsychiatryattheUniversityofCalifornia,SanDiego,ispartofaconsortiumofresearcherscalledtheOptiBrainCenter,whereheisinterestedinCOMTsroleincombatperformanceandwellbeing.
Whilethestudiesareongoing,theearlyresultsshowthosewithWorriergenescanstillhandleincrediblestressaslongastheyarewelltrained.EvensomeNavySEALshavetheWorriergenes,soyoucanliterallybeaWorriergeneWarrior.InKennedyssample,almostathirdoftheexpertpilotswereWorriersalargerproportionthaninthegeneralpopulation.
Kennedysworkisparticularlyrevealing.Sheputspilotsthroughaseries
7/22/2015 WhyCanSomeKidsHandlePressureWhileOthersFallApart?TheNewYorkTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magazine/whycansomekidshandlepressurewhileothersfallapart.html 7/13
ofsixflightsimulatortests,wherepilotsendureturbulence,oilpressureproblems,icedcarburetorsandcrosswindswhilelanding.Theyarekeptfuriouslybusy,dialingtonewfrequencies,flyingtonewaltitudesandheadingsandpunchingintranspondercodes.
AmongrecreationalpilotswiththelowestratingleveltrainedtoflyonlyindaylightthosewithWarriorgenesperformedbest.Butthatchangedwithmoreexperience.AmongrecreationalpilotswhohadthenextlevelofqualificationtrainedtoflyatnightusingcockpitinstrumentstheWorriersfaroutperformedtheWarriors.Theirgeneticallyblessedworkingmemoryandattentionadvantagekickedin.Andtheirexperiencemeanttheydidntmeltunderthepressureoftheirgeneticcurse.
Whatthissuggests,Kennedysays,isthat,forWorriers,throughtraining,theycanlearntomanagetheparticularstressinthespecificpilottraining,evenifitisnotnecessarilytransferredovertootherpartsoftheirlives.
SowhilethesingleshotstakesofastandardizedexamisparticularlyillsuitedforWorriergenotypes,thisdoesntmeanthattheyshouldbeshieldedfromallchallenge.Infact,shieldingthemcouldbetheworstresponse,deprivingthemofthechancetoacclimatetorecurringstressors.Johnsonexplainsthisasaformofstressinoculation:Youtaxthemwithoutoverwhelmingthem.Andthenallowforsufficientrecovery,hecontinued.Training,preparationandrepetitiondefusetheWorrierscurse.
Therearemanypsychologicalandphysiologicalreasonsthatlongtermstressisharmful,butthescienceofeliteperformancehasdrawnadifferentconclusionaboutshorttermstress.Studiesthatcompareprofessionalswithamateurcompetitorswhetherconcertpianists,malerugbyorfemalevolleyballplayersshowthatprofessionalsfeeljustasmuchanxietyasamateurs.Thedifferenceisinhowtheyinterprettheiranxiety.Theamateursviewitasdetrimental,whiletheprofessionalstendtoviewstressasenergizing.Itgetsthemtofocus.
7/22/2015 WhyCanSomeKidsHandlePressureWhileOthersFallApart?TheNewYorkTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magazine/whycansomekidshandlepressurewhileothersfallapart.html 8/13
Asimilarmentalshiftcanalsohelpstudentsintesttakingsituations.JeremyJamieson,assistantprofessorofsocialpsychologyattheUniversityofRochester,hasdoneaseriesofexperimentsthatrevealhowthelabelingofstressaffectsperformanceonacademictesting.
ThefirstexperimentwasatHarvardUniversitywithundergraduateswhowerestudyingfortheGraduateRecordExamination.Beforetakingapracticetest,thestudentsreadashortnoteexplainingthatthestudyspurposewastoexaminetheeffectsofstressoncognition.Halfofthestudents,however,werealsogivenastatementdeclaringthatrecentresearchsuggestspeoplewhofeelanxiousduringatestmightactuallydobetter.Therefore,ifthestudentsfeltanxiousduringthepracticetest,itsaid,youshouldntfeelconcerned...simplyremindyourselfthatyourarousalcouldbehelpingyoudowell.
Justreadingthisstatementsignificantlyimprovedstudentsperformance.Theyscored50pointshigherinthequantitativesection(outofapossible800)thanthecontrolgrouponthepracticetest.Remarkableasthatseemed,itisrelativelyeasytogetaresultinalab.WoulditaffecttheiractualG.R.E.results?Acoupleofmonthslater,thestudentsturnedintheirrealG.R.E.scores.Jamiesoncalculatedthatthegrouptaughttoseeanxietyasbeneficialinthelabexperimentscored65pointshigherthanthecontrols.Inongoingwork,JamiesonisreplicatingtheexperimentwithremedialmathstudentsataMidwesterncommunitycollege:aftertheyweretoldtothinkofstressasbeneficial,theirgradesimproved.
Atfirstblush,youmightassumethatthestatementaboutanxietybeingbeneficialsimplycalmedthestudents,reducingtheirstressandallowingthemtofocus.Butthatwasnotthecase.Jamiesonsteamtooksalivasamplesofthestudents,boththedaybeforethepracticetesttosetabaseline,andrightafterreadingthelinesaboutthenewsciencejustmomentsbeforetheystartedthefirstquestion.Jamiesonhadthesalivatestedforbiomarkersthatshowthelevelofactivationofthebodyssympatheticnervoussystemourfightorflightresponse.Theexperimentalgroupsstresslevelsweredecidedlyhigher.
7/22/2015 WhyCanSomeKidsHandlePressureWhileOthersFallApart?TheNewYorkTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magazine/whycansomekidshandlepressurewhileothersfallapart.html 9/13
Thebiologicalstresswasreal,butithaddifferentphysiologicalmanifestationsandhadsomehowbeentransformedintoapositiveforcethatdroveperformance.
IfyouwenttoanSATtestingsiteandcouldrunphysiologicalandneurologicalscansontheteenagersmillingoutsidethedoorrightbeforetheexam,youwouldobserveverydifferentbiomarkersfromstudenttostudent.Thosestandingwithshouldershunched,orperhapsrubbingtheirhands,stampingtheirfeettogetwarm,mightbeapproachingwhatWendyBerryMendesandcolleaguescallathreatstate.AccordingtoMendes,anassociateprofessorofpsychologyattheUniversityofCalifornia,SanFrancisco,thehallmarkofathreatstateisvasoconstrictionatighteningofthesmoothmusclesthatlineeverybloodvesselinthebody.Bloodpressurerisesbreathinggetsshallow.Oxygenatedbloodlevelsdrop,andenergysuppliesarereduced.Meanwhile,arushofhormonesamplifiesactivityinthebrainsamygdala,makingyoumoreawareofrisksandfearfulofmistakes.
Atthatsametestcenter,youmightseestudentsshouldersback,chestopen,puttingweightontheirtoes.Theymaybeinachallengestate.Hormonesactivatethebrainsrewardcentersandsuppressthefearnetworks,sothepersonisexcitedtostartinonthetest.Inthisstate,decisionmakingbecomesautomatic.Thebloodvesselsandlungsdilate.Inadifferentstudyofstress,Jamiesonfoundthatthepeopletoldtofeelpositiveaboutbeinganxioushadtheirbloodflowincreasebyanaverageofmorethanhalfaliterperminute,withmoreoxygenandenergycoursingthroughoutthebodyandbrain.Somehaduptotwolitersperminuteextra.
Jamiesonisfrustratedthatourculturehassuchanegativeviewofstress:Whenpeoplesay,Imstressedout,itmeans,Imnotdoingwell.Itdoesntmean,ImexcitedIhaveincreasedoxygenatedbloodgoingtomybrain.
Asthedoorstothetestcenteropen,thelinebetweenchallengeandthreatisthin.Probablynothinginducesathreatstatemorethanfeelingyoucant
7/22/2015 WhyCanSomeKidsHandlePressureWhileOthersFallApart?TheNewYorkTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magazine/whycansomekidshandlepressurewhileothersfallapart.html 10/13
makeanymistakes.Threatphysiologycanbeactivatedwiththesenseofbeingjudged,oranythingthattriggersthefearofdisappointingothers.Asastudentopenshistestbooklet,threatcanflarewhenheseesasubjecthehasrecentlylearnedbuthasntmastered.Orwhenheseesaproblemhehasnoideahowtosolve.
ArmandoRodriguezgraduatedlastspringfromBrightStarSecondaryCharterAcademyinLosAngeles,butheiswaitinguntilnextfalltostartcollege.Heisnottakingagapyeartofigureoutwhathewantstodowithhislife.Hesrecuperatingfromkneesurgeryforabonecondition,spendinghisdaysinphysicaltherapy.Andwhatdoeshemissaboutbeingoutofschool?Competing.
Itsanadrenalinerushlikenootherthing.Hemissesbeinghappywhenhewins.Heevenmisseslosing.Atleastitwasafeelingyougot,hesaid.Itmadeyouwanttobebetter,thenexttime.Withoutacompetitivegoal,hefeelsalittleadrift.Hefindshimselfmentallycompetingwithotherphysicaltherapypatients.
Rodriguezrecordeda3.86G.P.A.hissenioryearofhighschoolandwasadefenderfortheschoolsoccerteam.Thekneeinjuryhappenedduringastintontheschoolsfootballteam:hisdoctorhadwarnedthatitwastooriskytoplay,butIjusthadtotry,hesaid.Heusedtoconstantlychallengehisfriendsonquizgradesitshowtheymadeschoolworkfun.
ButwhenhetooktheSATlastyear,heexperiencedadifferentsensation.Myheartwasracing,hesaid.Ihadbutterflies.Occasionally,hedlookupfromhisexamtoseeeveryoneelseworkingontheirowntests:theyseemedtobeconcentratingsohardandansweringquestionsfasterthanhewas.Whatiftheyredoingwaybetterthanme?immediatelyledtothethought,Thesepeoplearesmarterthanme.Allthegoodschoolsaregoingtowantthem,andnotme.Withinseconds,hearrivedattheworstpossibleoutcome:hishopesofagoodcollegewouldbegone.
7/22/2015 WhyCanSomeKidsHandlePressureWhileOthersFallApart?TheNewYorkTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magazine/whycansomekidshandlepressurewhileothersfallapart.html 11/13
Itmightseemsurprisingthatthesamestudentcanexperiencecompetitioninsuchdifferentways.Butthispointstowhatresearchersthinkisthedifferencebetweencompetitionthatchallengesandcompetitionthatthreatens.
Takingastandardizedtestisacompetitioninwhichtheonlythinganyonecaresaboutisthefinalscore.Noonesays,Ididntdothatwell,butitwasstillworthdoing,becauseIlearnedsomuchmathfromallthemonthsofstudying.NobodyhasevercomeoutofanSATtestsaying,Well,IwontgetintothecollegeIwanted,butthatsO.K.becauseImadealotofnewfriendsattheKaplancenter.Standardizedtestslackthesidebenefitsofcompetingthatnormallybufferchildrensanxiety.Whenyousignyourchildupfortheswimteam,hemayreallywanttofinishfirst,buttherearemanyotherreasonstobeinthepool,evenifhefinisheslast.
Highstakesacademictestingisntgoingaway.Norshouldcompetitionamongstudents.Infactseveralscholarshaveconcludedthatwhatstudentsneedismoreacademiccompetition,butmodeledonthekindschildrenenjoy.
DavidandChristiBergin,professorsofeducationalanddevelopmentalpsychologyattheUniversityofMissouri,havebegunapilotstudyofjuniorhighschoolstudentsparticipatinginmathcompetitions.Theyhaveobservedthat,withinafewweeks,studentsweretacklingmorecomplexproblemsthantheywouldevenattheendofayearlongclass.Somewereevendoingcollegelevelmath.Thatwastrueevenforstudentswhodidntlikemathbeforejoiningtheteamandwereforcedintoitbytheirparents.Knowingtheyweregoingupagainstotherteamsinfrontofanaudience,thechildrentookownershipoverthematerial.Theybecameexcitedaboutdiscoveringevermoreadvancedconcepts,havingrealizedeachnewfactwasanotherweaponintheirintellectualarsenal.
Inclassspellingbees.Sciencefairs.Chessteams.Theperformanceishighlymotivating,DavidBerginsays.Evenifachildknowsherscience
7/22/2015 WhyCanSomeKidsHandlePressureWhileOthersFallApart?TheNewYorkTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magazine/whycansomekidshandlepressurewhileothersfallapart.html 12/13
projectwontwinthesciencefair,shestillgetsthatmomenttoperform.Thatmomentcanbestressfulandinvigoratingandscary,butifthechildhandlesitwell,itfeelslikeavictory.
Childrenbenefitfromcompetitiontheyhavepreparedforintensely,especiallywhenviewedasanopportunitytogainrecognitionfortheireffortsandimproveforthenexttime,saysRenaSubotnik,apsychologistattheAmericanPsychologicalAssociation.Subotniknotesthatscholasticcompetitionscanraisethesocialstatusofacademicworkaswellasthatofthecontestants.Competitionslikethesearecertainlynotwithoutstress,butthepressurecomesinpredictableebbsandflows,brokenupbymomentsoffunandexcitement.
MaybethebestthingaboutacademiccompetitionsisthattheybenefitbothWarriorsandWorriersequally.TheWarriorsgetthethrillingintensitytheirmindsaresuitedfor,wheretheycanshine.TheWorriersgetthegradualstressinoculationtheyneed,sothatonedaytheycandomorethanjusttoleratestresstheycanembraceit.Andthroughthecycleofpreparation,performanceandrecovery,whattheylearnbecomesingrained.
Itmaybedifficulttobelieve,asJamiesonadvises,thatstresscanbenefityourperformance.Wecanreadit,andwecantalkaboutit,butitsthesortofthingthatneedstobepracticed,perhapsforyears,beforeitcanbecomeadeeplyheldconviction.
ItturnsoutthatArmandoRodriguezwasacceptedatfivecolleges.HeralliedthatdayontheSAT.Itwasnthisbestscorehedidbetterthesecondtimearoundbutitwasnotasbadashefeared.RodriguezhadneverheardofJeremyJamieson.Hehadneverread,oreverbeentold,thatintensestresscouldbeharnessedtoperformhisbest.Butheunderstooditanddrewstrengthfromit.Inthemiddleofhisdownwardspiralofpanic,herealizedsomething:Iminacompetition.Thisisacompetition.Ivegottobeatthem.
PoBronsonandAshleyMerrymanaretheauthorsofTopDog:TheScienceof
7/22/2015 WhyCanSomeKidsHandlePressureWhileOthersFallApart?TheNewYorkTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magazine/whycansomekidshandlepressurewhileothersfallapart.html 13/13
WinningandLosing.
Editor:VeraTitunik
AversionofthisarticleappearsinprintonFebruary10,2013,onpageMM20oftheSundayMagazinewiththeheadline:WhyWorry?.
2015TheNewYorkTimesCompany