Motivation and the fear of failure 对失败的恐惧可以化作动力吗？

What motivates you to work or study harder? Is it the thought of success and all the amazing things that you can achieve, or is it the fear of failure and worry about all the things that can go wrong for you? Leaders, managers, and teachers have often used one of these ideas to inspire people to work harder and achieve more. But is one better than the other?

A recent study looked at the effect of fear-based strategies on British secondary school students. As is so often the case, it's complicated. They found that if a test is seen as important, and students are optimistic that they can succeed, then the fear of failure can be used successfully by teachers to motivate these learners. However, if students are not confident, then fear-based approaches could trigger feelings of anxiety, which can in turn lead them to do worse on the test then they would have done otherwise. The study also found that if students are disengaged and don't care about the test in the first place, then, unsurprisingly, the fear of failure is not likely to motivate them.

Entrepreneurs often run the risk of failure. It's a fact that most new companies will fail. But does this motivate or inhibit businesspeople? Again, it's not straightforward. The personal consequences of failure can be significant, and so founders may be motivated to work harder to avoid them. A study carried out on British and Canadian entrepreneurs found that fear of failure can improve problem solving, as people are motivated to anticipate and resolve potential issues. They may also be inspired to learn new things that will help their business or find mentors who can support them. However, the study also showed that it can lead to increased procrastination as people focus too much on what they personally fear, rather than what would be best for the business. If someone is less confident about their business idea, then they may find their decision-making negatively affected by their fears.

Taken together, these studies show that fear-based motivation is complicated. It can drive confident people to do better, but it can also amplify our doubts and turn them into barriers.

词汇表

motivate 激励
achieve 做成，达到
inspire 激励
fear-based 基于恐惧的
optimistic 乐观的
confident 有信心的，有把握的
trigger 引发
anxiety 焦虑
disengaged 不感兴趣的，不关心的
run the risk 冒...的危险
inhibit 约束，使...有顾虑
consequence 结果，影响
inspired 受到启发的
mentor （工作中为经验较浅者提供帮助的）导师，指导人
procrastination 拖延
amplify 扩大，加深
doubt 疑虑
barrier 障碍，阻碍

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. Which students can benefit from the fear or failure?

2. True or false? If students do not care about a test, they can be motivated by the fear of failure. 

3. What two things can entrepreneurs be inspired to do by the fear of failure?

4. What can happen if entrepreneurs focus too much on their personal fears?

5. According to the article, when are entrepreneurs' decision-making affected by their fears?

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. The fear of failure can stop us achieving _______.

doubts                     success                          anxiety                   optimistic

2. I'm happy, I feel _______ about our chances.

barriers                    optimistic                       anxious                  disengaged

3. Students don't learn if they are _______.

disengaged             optimistic                       confident                inspired

4. A _______ can coach you to be a better manager.

doubt                       trigger                            barrier                    mentor

5. If we're not careful we _______ the risk of overstretching ourselves.

walk                         run                                crawl                       jog

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. Which students can benefit from the fear or failure?

Students who are optimistic about their ability to pass.

2. True or false? If students do not care about a test, they can be motivated by the fear of failure.

False. Fear of failure is only motivating if people believe that a test is important. 

3. What two things can entrepreneurs be inspired to do by the fear of failure?

Entrepreneurs may be inspired to learn new things or find mentors to support them. 

4. What can happen if entrepreneurs focus too much on their personal fears?

They can end up procrastinating too much.

5. According to the article, when are entrepreneurs' decision-making affected by their fears?

When they are less confident about their business idea.

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. The fear of failure can stop us achieving success.

2. I'm happy, I feel optimistic about our chances.

3. Students don't learn if they are disengaged.

4. A mentor can coach you to be a better manager.

5. If we're not careful we run the risk of overstretching ourselves.