Model Motivators

ACHIEVEMENT

Why aren't you more like your brother?." Mom only meant to motivate
you when she compared you to your hotshot sibling. But she may have
sealed your fate as an underachiever. Penelope Lockwood, Ph.D., an
assistant professor of psychology at the University of Lethbridge in
Alberta, Canada, asked college students to think about their
accomplishments or the day's events. Next, half of the subjects read an
article about a superstar student who now had a booming career--a
potential mentor. The others read about a zoo. Subjects who'd read about
the student and were "primed" with their former success rated themselves
less positively and reported being less motivated than those who'd read
about the zoo. While it's easy to imagine yourself as the next Michael
Jordan or Madonna, Lockwood found, when we set their victories next to
our own limited resumes we may realize that we can't reach their heights
of success, leaving us feeling inferior.

Role models can motivate, she says, if they are people whose
achievements we find realistically attainable. But comparing ourselves or
our loved ones to high achievers won't shame us into performing
better--it will likely leave us feeling worse.

ILLUSTRATION (COLOR)