Under Pressure: Thriving or Just Surviving?
Last weekend I had the good fortune to watch the CA Mock Trial team compete in the national tournament in Hartford, Connecticut. Going up against 45 teams from all over the U.S. and even a team from South Korea, our students had to be prepared to argue for either the defense or the prosecution over four different matches. The focus was a fictional murder case with plenty of contradictory evidence and complex legal issues at hand. Student attorneys and witnesses prepared diligently beforehand and made adjustments in their strategy between matches over two days. Truly, what impressed me the most was how the seven students involved could hold up under the pressure of the moment; while some of what happens at the trial is prepared (including the opening and closing arguments), much of what transpires is improvisational, as opposing attorneys and witnesses present questions, objections, and make impromptu statements. The presiding judges--actual active or retired judges--make certain rulings and ask attorneys for clarifying statements as well, adding yet another layer of unpredictability. Again, I was very proud of how this group of juniors and seniors managed the high level of stress of this challenge and performed against top-level competition.
I wondered as I watched how it was that these students could rise to this occasion. We have probably heard that some stress is necessary and good for you; we are wired to deal with certain amounts of stress and indeed our very survival depends on it. (I had better get stressed if I see a man-eating tiger coming my way, or I will be eaten.) Still, we also worry about adolescents experiencing too much stress and feeling overwhelmed by the pressure-filled situations they encounter. So how do we know when a scenario like mock trial or a high-stakes playoff game or a three-hour Advanced Placement exam stays on the right side of the stress line?
In a recent article, Psychology Today noted that the difference between being under stress in a way that can lead to beneficial outcomes vs. stress that is more detrimental to our well-being has everything to do with our perception of the pressure we are under. "Stress is a perceived disconnect between a situation and our resources to deal with the situation. In other words, stress is a (real or imagined) threat that taxes our resources. The operative word here is perceived. Stress does not always arise from an actual threat; but if we perceive it to be a threat, then it's a threat." Thus, our students may rise to a challenge in a highly positive way--especially if they go into a situation with confidence and excitement. A big game, for instance, is stress-producing, but if students feel they are prepared for the game and the opponent, and they can keep the magnitude of the moment from getting too overwhelming, they will do their best and feel they have risen to the challenge. If they can get into this appropriate “zone” of performance, the outcomes tend to take care of themselves. We know in an achievement-oriented culture, a student often measures the process by the result--an inevitable situation, perhaps, but an unfortunate one in that it tends to over-stress the outcome which in turns can create heightened stress the next time around. The fact that our society places so much emphasis on outcomes obviously affects our perceptions and thus our stress levels. Greater anxiety in turn reduces a person’s capacity to perform well.
At CA, we will continue to do our best to be counter-cultural to some extent—let’s all help students learn how to manage and perform under pressure while simultaneously emphasizing that the outcome is not the most important part of the learning. In life there will be many moments where high performance matters, and keeping cool and confident in those occasions will lead to satisfying results and continued growth.
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