For Gen Z students raised on competition, comparison, and college admissions, the idea of success has become less about fulfillment and more about survival.

While achievement can motivate, it has also become a measuring stick for self-worth — a pattern that educators and psychologists alike say needs to change

As the saying goes, “Comparison is the thief of joy” – and nowhere is that clearer than in the race to measure success. Constantly stacking one’s achievements against others can make even real accomplishments feel small.

Relying on fleeting wins — like a test score or a game victory — can leave students chasing validation rather than meaning. Comparison can take many forms including, athletic performance, grades, or test scores. Depending on short-lived achievements like test scores or game wins often leaves people unfulfilled. In a society where fulfillment is based primarily on comparison and competition, it is time for the idea of success to be redefined and stripped down to its basic science.

“It’s almost as if we’ve confused the means for the ends,” West Chicago Community High School philosophy teacher Nick Caltigirone said. “Competition should be the means by which to get to a successful outcome, but if that becomes the only driving force, then we have forgotten about the actual goal, and are too driven by just the competition.”

His point highlights how the drive to outperform others often overshadows the original purpose of achievement: growth and understanding.

According to a 2021 study in the National Library of Medicine, “Since the dawn of civilization, man has strived to meet his basic needs: food, shelter and clothing. However, over the course of time one’s needs have increasingly been influenced by their wants, which have been one of the everlasting sources and roots of human happiness.”

(Photo illustration created by Ana Hurtado using Canva)

The feeling of achieving a perfect score on a test. The satisfaction of a promotion. The relief and sense of accomplishment after getting accepted into a dream school. The pride after winning a championship for one’s sports team. All ideas that society views as “successful.”

Success, by definition, is to overcome an obstacle or hardship and to accomplish a desired goal. Although “nothing worthwhile is accomplished without hard work,” as Plato, the father of philosophy, said, people today often become so focused on what others achieve that they lose sight of their own purpose.

Throughout history, the idea of communalism and teamwork was an essential part to the structure of societies. As time progressed, the values of independence and self-reliance emerged, resulting in collectivism and helping others viewed as a weakness.

“I think older societies in large part were more concerned with the communal value of things, as opposed to the individual bottom line, whether it be money or status. Our modern society has made it so we don’t have to be as communal or our basic needs are met without having to be participatory members of our community,” Caltigirone said

As independence replaced collaboration, success became less about shared progress and more about personal gain – a shift that continues to define modern culture.

A different perspective that also exposes the rigid societal expectations is the pressure put on women to either have a successful job or stay at home. On one hand, women can view success as having a high paying job and being self-dependent while others just dream of having a simple life as a stay at home mom or wife. This contrast reveals how outdated and narrow definitions of “success” can alienate people whose goals differ from cultural norms.

The pressure to conform — whether through career ambition or domestic roles — shows how easily success becomes another way to measure worth instead of happiness.

As societies continue to change and are made up of individual people, it is important to not have exclusive ideas of what success looks like and enforce those ideas.

(Photo illustration created by Ana Hurtado using Canva)

In Gen Z, another problem has also emerged because of pressures to succeed academically or athletically: perfectionism.

Perfectionism is a personality trait that is defined as the pursuit of excellence and the setting of unrealistic standards. According to the Harvard University Academic Research Center, there are three types of perfectionism: socially prescribed, self oriented, and other oriented perfectionism.

Socially prescribed perfectionism is generally interpreted as the societal expectations set in place for students and high demands like AP classes or athletic performances. Other oriented perfectionism is the belief of setting unrealistic standards for other people, and expecting those same standards in return. Both can take a serious toll on mental health.

On the contrary, self-oriented perfectionism is often one’s own motivated pressures and expectations to succeed. These are usually type A students who always get good grades, have organized schedules, and strive to become the best version of themselves.

“My academic goals are completely mine. I do know that some people find that hard to believe but really, I set most of these high expectations for myself, especially since high school has started,” West Chicago Community High School junior Niyah Patel said. “I recognize that they are very high but I’m just pushing myself to the max.”

Although academic performance is an important aspect of life, Patel has learned the importance of balance and finding fulfillment in other ways.

“On a materialistic level, I obviously see success as being the best I can at my job. Whether it’s supporting my family, or having a strong, stable life. Even though I care about these things, I know I will see true success when I see the better version of myself as a student, athlete, older sister, daughter, friend, mentor, and most importantly, as a human being,” Patel said.

Patel’s mindset reflects a shift among many Gen Z students – a generation realizing that achievement without balance leads to burnout rather than satisfaction.

A meta-analysis by the American Psychological Association, which examined 246 studies involving 41,000 college students across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, found that perfectionism is at an all-time high.

According to Emily Sohn of the American Psychological Association, “Socially prescribed perfectionism spiked most dramatically, showing a 33% increase over the study period. That was more than double the 10% increase seen in self-oriented perfectionism and the 16% rise in other-oriented perfectionism, the researchers found.”

The steady rise in socially prescribed perfectionism mirrors an era dominated by social media and academic competition, where public success often feels like a requirement instead of a goal.

Aside from academics, athletic performance can also heavily influence the well-being of mental health in gen-z. Assistant Varsity soccer coach, Dorian Carrasco reflected on the fundamentals about having a both competitive and tenacious team while also encouraging them to grow as people.

“You blend individual talent and bring together a group of players who share the same goal: layers who will work and sacrifice for each other, guided by morals, personality, and character,” Carrasco said. “You create a team with that fluidity to be able to dictate games in the individual and team aspects of things. This approach gives you the balance to compete and develop. We want to be successful and keep our players responsible.”

While Carrasco emphasizes teamwork as the heart of success, psychologists warn that constant competition can push athletes to equate their value with performance.

“Cultivating a drive to succeed is important for providing a sense of purpose, meaning, joy, and well-being, experts said. But when people feel like they can’t ever live up to expectations, the pursuit of perfection can become detrimental to mental health, leading to disconnection from an internal sense of self-worth,” Sohn said.