Performance Approach
Focusing on demonstrating competence and outperforming others rather than learning.
Also known as: Performance orientation, Performance goals
Category: Concepts
Tags: mindsets, goals, motivations, achievement, psychology
Explanation
A performance approach (or performance orientation) focuses on demonstrating ability, outperforming others, and achieving favorable judgments. Individuals with this orientation ask 'how can I prove I'm capable?' and 'how do I compare to others?' rather than focusing on learning. Performance goals can be approach-oriented (seeking to demonstrate competence) or avoidance-oriented (seeking to avoid appearing incompetent). Research shows that while performance-approach goals can drive achievement in some contexts (especially competitive ones), they also have downsides: avoidance of challenging tasks that might reveal limitations, surface-level learning strategies, reduced intrinsic motivation, and lower persistence after setbacks. The performance approach can be useful for known-competence domains but problematic for learning new skills. For knowledge workers, awareness of this orientation helps recognize when fear of looking incompetent might be limiting growth.
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