pros and cons

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Most writers tout the value of competition, especially in business. Go to any bookstore and you're bound to find a few books about understanding and beating your competitors, competing in global markets, and so on. But some writers and researchers have described the negative consequences of competition on people and society. In No Contest, Alfie Kohn draws on the work of hundreds of these researchers. He writes that "our struggle to defeat each other - at work, at school, at play, and at home - turns us all into losers" and that competition "doesn't motivate us to do our best...it sabotages self-esteem and ruins relationships."

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