Do you have a competitive drive? Yes, unfortunately. Often, I try to staunch it because of the conflict it has been known to create.
Do you enjoy competing? Sometimes and only with certain people that aren't going to get hostile or take things overly seriously.
Professionally, Academically, or Athletically? Professionally at times, academically always, athletically never... I'm terminally uncoordinated.
If you do enjoy competition, what drives you? The drive I've got towards competition stems from my sister always being academically superior to me throughout the years. She's 4 years younger and always had straight As. Until one semester in college where she got two Bs and I ended up with straight As in grad school. I'm still not sure if it's a competition thing or us motivating each other. My ex-SO was very competitive in all things and some of that rubbed off on me because we both strived to be the best person we could be. But it did turn into competition. At work I constantly have to prove myself capable at my job because of my age (I'm younger than most, and they're all women) so it sometimes turns into a competition. Other people motivate me to compete... but the minute it gets nasty or hostile, I'm usually out unless there's something that I've been working very hard on that I'll lose out on by walking away.
If you don't, what holds you back? Athletically, I'm seriously dangerous. That always holds me back. I'm so uncoordinated that it doesn't even make sense for me to try to go up against someone else. I challenge myself to beat my last workout, not someone else's or I wouldn't be able to move for weeks!
I can't handle it when people are emotionally or physically hurting each other for the sake of competition. It makes me incredibly angry and I lose all motivation, the majority of the time. It's just rarely worth it to hurt someone to prove you're somehow better at something.
Do you think that your status as a woman has much to do with your stance? Some of it. I constantly had male figures putting me down in high school on the academic front. So it motivated me to prove that I was just as good as The Boys. But I never feel the need to compete only because I'm a woman any more. I'm either going to succeed or fail, and I refuse to let that be on the grounds that I'm female. It drove my ex crazy because I wouldn't let him use that excuse on me. I took the test and passed it... he's yet to take the exam because he's afraid he might fail and prove he's not as "smart" as I am. I could care less.