I found this really intriguing. I was one of those girls, especially in elementary school, and I've always had to force myself to keep going. I don't think it's just an academic thing, though. For me, it was more of a "Well, if I'm going to be seen as a failure, I would rather undoubtedly fail than almost, but not quite, make it." Either extreme garners the same level of attention. Do well, and you are praised for doing so. Do poorly, and you are encouraged to do better and shown your mistakes.
I thought that article was really interesting as well. What the article was saying totally makes sense. But I don't think that's always true. I think I would be the exception. I'm not sure which girl I would fall under, the girl who gave up too quickly or one of those who would always be hard on herself to do better. I think I would fall right in the middle. Sometimes I set goals and work at them but somewhere along the way i get unmotivated or sidetracked if you will. I wouldn't consider it giving up because eventually I set the goal again. And when I get "sidetracked" I'm not hard on myself, I just hear it from my mom. Which is perhaps part of the reason why I get motivated again. But most of it is self motivation. Because it just makes it that much more satisfactory when you reach the goal.
@emilie "But most of it is self motivation. Because it just makes it that much more satisfactory when you reach the goal." Could not have said it better myself. Achieving goals that I set for myself, and especially if someone has told me I could not do it, is much more satisfying.
This does make a lot of sense. Guys are usually taught to be competitive and to never back down from a challenge, whereas girls aren't always taught that. It probably also could go back to the guy-girl stuff where guys typically pursue the girl in a dating relationship. So we girls are sometimes used to not facing challenges.
While this brings up a good point I don't think this is necessarily true. Even as a grown woman I go after the most difficult things. When growing up its always fun to be better than boys, its a challenge. But even now I like to have a little competition.
I just learned about this last semester in my human development class. I think the part about the different feedback girls and boys get when it comes to things like school work makes a lot of sense as well. I do agree that this definitely doesn't apply to all girls, but I think it would be wrong to say that some girls don't fall under the "Bright Girl" persona. I use to fall under that category until I got to college when I started to realize I had potential in certain areas that I never thought I'd have the guts to try and pursue. I think that when the right people push you, any girl can see that her potential is greater than she could ever imagine.
The article is very interesting. I also think it explains a lot of things about bright boys & girls. Also, boys are more competitive than girls are. I'm pretty good in certain areas, but I won't call myself a bright girl.
I completely agree that girls are quick to back down if they face a challenge. It's like something just says "you don't know how to do this" and you're done; there's no point in even trying. Boys, however, are used to rising to the challenge and proving people wrong, so if something is known as "difficult", boys will be quick to jump into it to see if they can figure it out. Girls need to be taught this same motivation from a young age so that they will be able to rise to the occasion as they get older. Motivation is key, whether it comes from parents, teacher, or even themselves.
I found this really intriguing. I was one of those girls, especially in elementary school, and I've always had to force myself to keep going. I don't think it's just an academic thing, though. For me, it was more of a "Well, if I'm going to be seen as a failure, I would rather undoubtedly fail than almost, but not quite, make it." Either extreme garners the same level of attention. Do well, and you are praised for doing so. Do poorly, and you are encouraged to do better and shown your mistakes.
ReplyDeleteI thought that article was really interesting as well. What the article was saying totally makes sense. But I don't think that's always true. I think I would be the exception. I'm not sure which girl I would fall under, the girl who gave up too quickly or one of those who would always be hard on herself to do better. I think I would fall right in the middle. Sometimes I set goals and work at them but somewhere along the way i get unmotivated or sidetracked if you will. I wouldn't consider it giving up because eventually I set the goal again. And when I get "sidetracked" I'm not hard on myself, I just hear it from my mom. Which is perhaps part of the reason why I get motivated again. But most of it is self motivation. Because it just makes it that much more satisfactory when you reach the goal.
ReplyDelete@emilie
ReplyDelete"But most of it is self motivation. Because it just makes it that much more satisfactory when you reach the goal."
Could not have said it better myself. Achieving goals that I set for myself, and especially if someone has told me I could not do it, is much more satisfying.
This does make a lot of sense. Guys are usually taught to be competitive and to never back down from a challenge, whereas girls aren't always taught that. It probably also could go back to the guy-girl stuff where guys typically pursue the girl in a dating relationship. So we girls are sometimes used to not facing challenges.
ReplyDeleteWhile this brings up a good point I don't think this is necessarily true. Even as a grown woman I go after the most difficult things. When growing up its always fun to be better than boys, its a challenge. But even now I like to have a little competition.
ReplyDeleteI just learned about this last semester in my human development class. I think the part about the different feedback girls and boys get when it comes to things like school work makes a lot of sense as well. I do agree that this definitely doesn't apply to all girls, but I think it would be wrong to say that some girls don't fall under the "Bright Girl" persona. I use to fall under that category until I got to college when I started to realize I had potential in certain areas that I never thought I'd have the guts to try and pursue. I think that when the right people push you, any girl can see that her potential is greater than she could ever imagine.
ReplyDeleteThe article is very interesting. I also think it explains a lot of things about bright boys & girls. Also, boys are more competitive than girls are. I'm pretty good in certain areas, but I won't call myself a bright girl.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that girls are quick to back down if they face a challenge. It's like something just says "you don't know how to do this" and you're done; there's no point in even trying. Boys, however, are used to rising to the challenge and proving people wrong, so if something is known as "difficult", boys will be quick to jump into it to see if they can figure it out. Girls need to be taught this same motivation from a young age so that they will be able to rise to the occasion as they get older. Motivation is key, whether it comes from parents, teacher, or even themselves.
ReplyDelete