On the other hand, we can readily accept that a competitive job, school, or social situation, where someone wins by making others fail, causes dreadful stress, resentment of the winner, contempt for the losers, low self-esteem, and major barriers to warm, caring, supportive relationships. Kohn recommends replacing competition with cooperation, i.e. working together, assuming responsibility for helping each other do our best, and uncritically valuing each other's contributions. We need lots of research to help us to know when and how to reduce our competitiveness. Our society is in a slow evolution in which various feelings of superiority are being challenged. But I believe that superiority-inferiority feelings permeate our society, even in many ways we do not commonly acknowledge.
Developed nations feel superior to less developed ones and take pride in beating other countries.
Older persons and parents feel superior to youth. Owners and bosses feel superior to workers. Urban dwellers feel superior to persons who live on farms or ranches. The religious feel superior to other religions and non-believers. Women often feel superior to men in terms of morals.