I had a similar experience: that kind of reinforcement encouraged me to try to do the least work possible to get the same results as others in order to prove ho

I had a similar experience: that kind of reinforcement encouraged me to try to do the least work possible to get the same results as others in order to prove how gifted I was, instead of working hard to go above and beyond. It was a rude awakening when I got to the point in life when I wasn't competing against my peers to complete set tasks, but rather competing against them to provide the most valuable contributions to a research group or company. However, I also believe that this kind of explanation can be harmful because it puts the blame for my laziness on others. Even though the research supports the idea that this effect occurred, ultimately I got past it by focusing on my own agency.