Golden mean
An ambitious person is a person who feels a constant need to be successful. A bad soldier is one who does not dream of becoming a general. The motto of an ambitious person When the desire to be better than your current self is confirmed by actions and self-improvement, then we are talking about “healthy” ambitions.
When increased self-esteem, selfishness and vanity arise out of nowhere, it at least looks stupid. But experience is the best trainer; he charges dearly, but explains clearly. Therefore, life sometimes moderates ardor and ambition, and ambitions are directed in the right direction for the benefit of family and society.
Healthy aspirations
A person who adequately assesses his abilities will never set himself unrealistic goals. He will strive for high but achievable goals. Having reached them, he will continue his movement to new ones. A person with healthy ambitions strives for self-improvement, to ensure that every day is lived better than the previous one.
It is always pleasant and interesting to communicate with such a person. A person will not behave arrogantly; on the contrary, by his example, by his successes, he knows how to inspire other people. In addition, such a person knows how to correlate the complexity of a task with the timing of its completion, and will not set too difficult goals for himself that need to be achieved in a short time.
This is what ambition is in the positive sense of the word.
What is ambition
According to the definition of psychologists, ambition is a certain level of ambition of a person striving to achieve his goals. The main desires of this type are to be the center of attention on a positive basis, to be held in high esteem and to be content with the respect of others. Such a person devotes his life to achieving both material and professional benefits by realizing his abilities in various fields corresponding to his interests.
We often say about such people: “He will achieve a lot! He needs everything from this life!” In cases where a person does not make a claim to this life and does not want to achieve much, he is considered a person with a low level of ambition.
And the one who sets ambitious goals for himself and is ready to “gnaw the earth” just to achieve the set goals is considered a person with inflated ambitions. Based on everything described, we can imagine an easy and quickly memorized interpretation of an ambitious person. This is the status that a person is aiming for - it can be overestimated or underestimated.
Unhealthy quality
Now that we have defined what ambition is, let’s try to find out in which cases it can be useful, and in which it can cause significant harm to a person and his environment.
What kind of people can be said to have had their ambitions gone beyond their limits and become unhealthy? First of all, claims must be supported by something. If a person really has some abilities, it is natural that he has certain ambitions. But when they are empty, with a complete lack of abilities in a certain field of activity, it looks funny and stupid.
A person with unhealthy ambition may set impossible goals for himself because he overestimates his capabilities. He cannot even admit to himself that he is not able to cope with any task; he is ready to work on it day and night, just to prove to himself and others that he can achieve this.
In addition, an overly ambitious person is demanding not only of himself, but also of others. He does not respect people with low ambitions and sets difficult tasks for others. He can even act arrogantly, as if he has already achieved a lot. This is what ambition means in an unhealthy and ugly form.
Properties and characteristics of ambition
Ambitions have three distinctive properties: understated, adequate and inflated ambitions.
- Low ambitions occur in a person who is too modest and shy, insecure, with low self-esteem. Feelings of guilt for one's success, lack of experience of success, or inability to withstand the pressure of other people make such an individual incapable of making claims that are little higher than the plinth. They go with the flow, they are a crowd, “like everyone else.” Why? Unresolved intrapersonal conflicts, tightness, negative internal dialogue - there are many factors that constrain ambitions and do not allow such a person to “spread his wings” and take a step towards his dreams and goals. In fact, such people are stronger than they think and are capable of a lot.
- Inflated ambitions are the direct opposite of the person we described above. This is exactly the case when a person “bites off more than he can chew.” Simply put, he does not weigh the responsibility he takes on with his actual ability to bear that responsibility. He takes on tasks that he cannot complete, and does not compare his abilities, talents and skills with the real complexity of the task. What's happening? A person imagines himself to be the center of the Universe, grabs onto everything, beats himself in the chest like King Kong, and when he fails to do or decide something, he takes offense at the whole world and withdraws into himself - so that later, with the same unshakable confidence, he will again take the responsibility for himself. another overwhelming task.
- Adequate ambition is that ideal “golden mean”, a balance between your strengths and abilities, and the complexity of the tasks that you set for yourself. This is a reasonable prioritization, a competent assessment of one’s strengths, without attributing additional “options”. With adequate ambition, big breakthroughs usually occur; a person moves forward, solving problems and gaining experience, without losing friends due to an overly inflated ego or, on the contrary, softness.
Signs of ambition at work
Ambitions manifest themselves in every area of life. Often an ambitious person is ambitious in everything in which he lives and is interested. Often we talk about career success, where a person must hold high positions, have a business or earn a lot of money. Ambitious people at work are welcomed by employers because they have those signs of ambition that help in the development and accomplishment of work tasks.
The most remarkable sign is the desire to improve and learn something new. An employee who does not stand still, but studies his field of activity, gains new professional knowledge, improves his skills, is valued much more than an employee with experience. It’s good when a person voluntarily attends trainings and seminars in order to receive new useful information that he will use in his work.
The second notable sign of ambition at work is the desire to be the best in your field. This creates healthy competition, where a person tries to become the best among specialists in his profession. If he sees that someone is doing a better job than him, then he tries to eliminate his gaps and rise above him. Here we can talk about envy, but it provides a positive stimulus that helps in personal self-development.
Who is an ambitious person?
An ambitious person is sometimes likened to people endowed with high pedigree and “great power” (kings, presidents) - he believes that he deserves increased respect and special treatment. And he himself will decide who to bestow his favor on, to whom to give his friendship and condescension, who is truly worthy of it.
Well, it must be admitted that the character trait “ambitiousness” has more of a negative connotation than a positive one. However, this is not entirely true, we will look at why a little further in this article.
Good or bad?
Undoubtedly, healthy ambition is a useful character trait. She helps him move forward and improve his life. The main thing is that in his quest for success a person does not go too far and does not become a victim of his own claims.
If people with unhealthy ambitions work in a team, this can lead to conflict situations, which, naturally, will not only worsen relationships, but also affect the quality of work. An overly ambitious person will never turn to another, more competent person for help, because this will deal a blow to his painful pride. Therefore, the work may remain uncompleted or the result may be unsatisfactory.
Thus, ambition is a good quality only if the aspirations are not exaggerated and a person can realistically assess his capabilities.
Implementation methods
There is a negative connotation in relation to ambitious individuals if their methods of achieving a goal create discomfort for others. It happens that such people behave arrogantly, selfishly, and in order to satisfy their ambitions they do not take others into account; they are ready to “step over” everyone who stands in the way. Naturally, the attitude towards them is disapproving.
However, to implement individual plans, it is not at all necessary to be selfish and infringe on the interests of other people; you can bring your plans to life and remain a sincere and tactful person.
The influence of ambitions on human life
Each individual has their own concept of ambition. Some believe that ambitious means successful and self-confident, while others are convinced that this means the fullest development of creative potential. High aspirations help a person achieve his goals in building a career or family. However, excessive ambition does not bring benefits: relationships with others deteriorate, the human psyche becomes unstable. An overly self-confident employee, exaggerating his capabilities, may lose his job. But a person with so-called healthy ambitions correlates his capabilities with his desires and often achieves his goal much faster.
What professions are suitable for such people?
Individuals with healthy ambitions are suitable for almost any profession, since they can achieve some success everywhere.
They feel best in leadership positions - they can be excellent middle and senior managers. They can also achieve great success in sales, where the final result of the work matters. Ambitious people are suitable for professions in which there is an element of competition - this constantly spurs their interest and makes them strive for more.
Summarizing…
Believe in yourself, believe in your strength, be grateful for everything you have and strive for more. Look around you and help other people achieve their goals. Believe me, this will bring much more benefit to both them and you, because the self-perception of a generous and kind successful person is better than that of a lonely and proud successful person. Both there and there you are successful, but what do you have besides success? Loving and devoted friends, proven over the years, reliable partners, or a snake-like ball of ill-wishers, greedily watching your mistakes? It's up to you to decide. Be honest, kind and patient! And you will be rewarded.
Ambition
Wiktionary has an entry on "Ambition."
James Tissot's painting "The Ambitious Lady" (1883-1885) depicts a young girl whose interest in participating in political discussions excited minds at the end of the 19th century, since politics was considered an exclusively male activity.
Beneath ambition
(or
ambition
) is understood as a person’s desire, fixed in character, to achieve success in accordance with personal goals in such areas of life as personal productivity, success, recognition, influence, leadership, knowledge or power. Unlike determination, ambition is aimed at a person's personal rather than altruistic goals. Unlike greed, ambition is only indirectly aimed at achieving material gain. Ambition is the subject of ethics, psychology, pedagogy, political science and some other humanities and scientific areas.
Perception of ambition
In Christianity
In Christian ethics, which was based only on faith and imitation of Christ, ambition was considered a vice. The Gospel says: “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Mt 23:12). Paul specifically warns against ambition in his letters and encourages humility and modesty.[1] Aurelius Augustine is quoted by Luther: “Ambition is the mother of all heresies.”[2]
According to Kant
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) writes about ambition:
Man is a creature that constantly fluctuates between public and personal good. He needs other people to develop his abilities; however, a person has a tendency to be stubborn, that is, to oppose himself to his neighbors and resist their opinions. From this inclination arises the triad of ambition, love of power and love of money (greed).[3]
Psychological and pedagogical perspective
In psychology and pedagogy, the concept of ambition corresponds to the term motivation. In educational concepts whose goal is a strong focus on results, in addition to the development of internal motivation and skills in academic, artistic or physical training, it is also advisable to apply and teach such competencies as self-efficacy expectations, endurance and hard work.
Ambition from a scientific-political perspective
Political scientist Joseph A. Schlesinger[4] identified three types of ambition in politics in 1966:[5]
- By progressive ambition he understood the desire of a politician for a higher position than he currently occupies.
- He called static ambition the desire of a politician to hold the position he currently holds for as long as possible.
- Discrete ambition is the desire of a politician to achieve a specific political goal or position, without expecting to achieve it repeatedly.
Character traits
Many people are interested in what an ambitious person is like and what is characteristic of him. He has the following character traits:
- Persistence.
- Self-confidence.
- Demanding on people.
- Positive thinking.
- High level of aspiration.
Such people, no matter what, go towards their goal. Of course, there are often various obstacles along the way, but this does not stop them. The only thing that can stop them is moral standards. There are situations when in order to achieve a goal it is necessary to violate moral standards. This stops some people, but not others. It all depends on upbringing.
Achieving results is impossible without self-confidence and self-confidence. However, ambition implies development into self-confidence: a person may not sincerely believe in achieving his goal, but set himself up for the fact that he will achieve it.
He will constantly tell his friends or acquaintances about his plans and that he is already having his first successes. However, most often we are talking only about upcoming successes. If a person has ambitions, he will demand respect and respect for himself. Even if he is nothing, ambition will take its toll. He may be offended or even angry at adequate criticism addressed to him. It is very important for him that everyone has a good opinion of him and does not dare say anything bad.
Self-confidence is closely related to positive thinking. Even if everything is bad, the individual will not give up and give up. He will move forward and come up with new tasks for himself. However, over time, if nothing works out, he may lose interest in the goal. He has very high self-esteem and demands on people, life and attitude towards himself, and constant failures do not stop him.
A high level of aspirations means strict demands on life. For example, a university graduate with poor academic performance and who does not have any professional skills expects a salary of 100 thousand rubles. Or an unattractive guy who doesn’t know how to communicate with a girl sees himself next to him only as models from the cover of a magazine, and doesn’t even look at ordinary girls who might like him.
What are the types of ambitions?
As we already know, ambitions can be overestimated or underestimated. But let's look at each of them separately.
- So, inflated ambitions - a person sets goals for himself, but for this he has neither financial, nor intellectual, nor time grounds. He acts arrogant and swaggering, boasts, but in reality he is nothing of himself. A simple and accessible example is girls from the outback who dream of becoming stage stars. No, no one is saying that there are no talented people in the province. But if we are talking about someone who has neither a voice, nor artistry, nor an attractive appearance, then what kind of fulfillment of desires in terms of “stardom” can we talk about?
- Low ambitions - a person sets himself small-scale, simple desires and does not pretend to anything more in this life. The question may concern the choice of the other half, career, material wealth.
- There is also a third type of ambition – adequate. Already by the name we understand that quality is inherent in an intelligent, intellectually developed, wise person. Such types are capable of achieving their goals, but they go towards them gradually, without disturbing the quality of life of those around them and taking into account the interests of loved ones. Ambitions can concern different areas of life. Therefore, psychologists also distinguish political, careerist, champion, imperial and other types of ambitions.
Experts also distinguish between different areas:
Professional. Those who decided to build an excellent career, achieve a high and well-paid position, and have as many people as possible subordinates have precisely this type of ambition. Quality is inherent to owners of holdings, offices, and enterprises. But if the road to realizing your desires was wrong, the wrong decisions were made, you can remain a banal workaholic and never achieve what you want. It is important to set priorities on time and correctly and abandon the secondary, unimportant.
Family. In this case, a person wants to find an ideal soul mate and build harmonious family relationships in which there will be no place for scandals and omissions. In his dreams, there is always a picture of a family in which there are children, where everyone is friends, communicates, is frank and honest with each other. Well, this is a normal and completely realizable desire. The main thing is not to overdo it with the ideal partner. If you demand from your spouse (wife) to conform to the ideal personality, conflicts and breakup are possible.
It is worth understanding that ideal people do not exist. And if your picture of the future is violated by the usual quarrel, omissions, refusal of children to obey and do everything their own way - you live in an illusory world. Look at yourself from the outside. Does your attitude towards others, your character traits and habits correspond to your dreams of an ideal family? It is unlikely that you also have shortcomings. The main thing is to find love and understanding, and everything else can be survived.
In the heat of building ideal family relationships, ambitious parents often force their children to live up to their ideals. The requirement to study better, to achieve success in languages, exact sciences and other subjects can lead to a child’s nervous breakdown and rebellion. At one point, he will refuse to do anything at all and, to prove his independence, will go to great lengths.
In order to at least get closer to your desires, you should learn to talk to your child, listen and hear his arguments. Connection, openness and trust are essential. This is the only way to find a common language. Imposing your ambitious family plans on everyone is stupid and counterproductive.
Financial. Well, we have many like-minded people on this issue. Who among us does not dream of improving our financial affairs? And make sure that you don’t need anything, don’t look for anything, don’t borrow in order to “plug” money holes in the family budget. But believe me, our problems have nothing to do with financial ambitions. There is a desire here to have lots and lots and lots of money. In this case, unlike normal people who want to live like a human being, everything is aimed at only one thing - to have wealth. In such cases, ambitious people do not think about others, they become greedy, stingy and pragmatic in everything.
Political. We can watch the activities of individuals with political ambitions every day on television. These are deputies, officials, political scientists, presidents, chancellors, prime ministers, etc. But it is worth understanding that such persons do not just aim to occupy some high position. They dream of ruling states and enjoying the authority of almost the entire planet. As a rule, future politicians have been interested in political talk shows, magazines, and newspapers since childhood. They begin their political “career” while still at school. They participate in the editorial board, publish wall newspapers, hold a post in the school parliament, participate in debate clubs, etc.
