Tess+Jacobson+RP+Post+1

RP Post #1

I: Presentation of research findings
 * I'm planning on writing an informative explanation paper.
 * I want to write about failure, and I feel that the best way to explore such a concept is through synthesizing my sources into something informative.
 * An explanation paper would allow me some flexibility regarding the direction of my paper, since I'd have the freedom to give my audience only the information that's relevant to my explanation. By writing this as an informative paper, I also feel that my own knowledge about the subject has more opportunities to grow and become nuanced as I analyze each source.

II: The pursuit of new knowledge
 * How is failure defined?
 * __ What's the optimal way to deal with failure? __
 * What are the different types/levels of failure?

III: Background & early knowledge
 * I recently read a Malcolm Gladwell essay on "The Art of Failure" and learned a little bit about choking and panicking. It also exposed me to the purely psychological aspect of this topic. I'm also starting with the experience that all humans have with failure, unease, and not getting what we want.
 * [|Here]'s the essay and [|here] is the Wikipedia page on failure. Outcome failure and process failure are different, as are personal and commercial failures. Those who "choke" under pressure present an interesting paradox for psychologists.

IV: The rationale
 * I think it's very human to be intrigued by failure. My own interest was piqued by several experiences in the musical world. As a competitive violinist/violist, I have to deal with not winning fairly often. That's actually a huge understatement. I play in a lot of competitions and VERY rarely do I come out as the Grand Prize winner. But the mindset of a competitive musician is never about winning the competition; we're always focused on the ~fruits of our labor~. Basically, if you've practiced until your fingers have bled and you've actually improved on the way there, whatever you leave on the stage is irrelevant. That doesn't mean it doesn't still suck not to come home with a trophy, though. For some reason, even though the skill has been won, losing a competition still feels like losing. So I want to write my paper about how we, as humans, can best react to failing as to possibly benefit future endeavors.
 * I'm hoping to have a lot of freedom with this topic. I may want to focus on the musician's aspect, or branch out into the different types of failure and how people cope with them. I may also take a bunch of memoirs from people who have overcome failure and make those stories the bulk of my sources. I'm excited to see where this question takes me.
 * I'm worried that this topic may be too broad. I'm working on narrowing it down, again, perhaps to only discuss the musician aspect.
 * I'm hoping that in writing this paper, I'll be able to gain actual life advice from myself.