Everybody knows somebody who is completely and totally obsessed with winning. They are so competitive that even a family game or a game amongst friends would bring out their obsessive need to win, so much so that they very often are not allowed to play.

The phrase, “A little competition can be healthy” does not seem to apply to them.

There is such a thing as a bad loser, but there is also such a thing as a bad winner, and this person is a bad winner. Some people will do anything to win, no matter what, they do not care how they win, as long as they win. They take competition to a whole new level, they do not care about who they hurt or even who they lose, because they have become so intoxicated with winning.

But when you hear the word “competitive” normally the word “male” is the next in your head, but nowadays women are just as competitive, if not more so than the men.

Why are people so obsessed with winning? Why are they so competitive? There are so many reasons people might be competitive, they might be based on society at large, or based entirely on the individual’s experiences.

Dominance

Everybody whether they are male or female wants to be the top dog, the “alpha,” and in order to be alpha, you need to win. In order to win, you need the competitive drive. Why would somebody want to be alpha? Alphas are looked up to and respected by society. They are considered by most people to be the true leaders, and who wouldn’t want that?

Fear

Some people are genuinely afraid of what will happen to them if they lose. They are worried they will be mocked, ridiculed, or even rejected for the alpha winner, so they must maintain their competitive drive.

Instinct

Many people believe that people (particularly men) are as competitive as they are because of their natural survival of the fittest instinct. In the survival of the fittest, only the best will win. The rest will die; it is believed that their instincts allow them to.

Personal achievement

Some people simply want to be the best and that is why they are competitive. They want to know that they are the best at what they do, not for anyone else, but for themselves.

Glory

Others want everybody else to know that they are the best, they want the applause and the attention, and that is where their drive comes from.

Status

Some people just want to be known as a winner, because a winner has status, a winner is sought after. After all, who wants to be with a loser?