People become sluggish and stagnant when there is no competition. The aspect of competition adds life to them and motivates them to strive for better and higher rank. Social stratification fosters competitiveness and drives people to grow and advance. 10. Facilitates elite circulation: Since the elites are the ones who will keep the system updated, they will have more opportunities to circulate between levels. If we look at our own society, we can see this phenomenon taking place today among the rich. Some are moving up, others are falling down. Competition also helps maintain the status quo. If there were no competition, then those at the top would be challenged by those below them, which would force them to make concessions or lose their position. For example, if the CEO of a company knew that it could not compete against other companies and therefore didn't try, then it would be replaced by someone who did try to compete with her and was successful at doing so. In conclusion, competition is important for social stratification because it helps maintain the status quo, encourages people to grow and advance, and allows for elite circulation.