Answer:
They certainly can if they’re tailored properly, but they can also break someone’s spirit to where they believe in themselves less. This doesn’t require one to come out as bitter as I associate that with feeling spiteful, but it can just make them feel helpless and hopeless.
Challenges test a person’s abilities and resolve, and when one succeeds, they can feel more capable than they did before. They feel more worthy of their skills and abilities because they’ve proven they can overcome something that challenged their authenticity.
On the flip side, when someone fails, it can call into question the validity of their beliefs, including skills.
Sugar Ray Leonard strongly considered retiring form boxing after his first loss to Roberto Duran because of the loss itself and the psychological warfare he’d been put through. His beliefs and skills were put to the test and he came out at the short end of the stick. His confidence was completely shattered.
Yet, after studying and thinking about what happened enough, he actually realized what had happened and then got back to work, started training again, and then won the belt back in their next bout. So even out of initial despair, one can find hope and determination to try again.
So there are no guarantees in outcome for how a challenge can affect someone. It is greatly dependent on a person’s own determination to forge ahead whether they win or lose. Each has a greater likelihood of creating a certain effect, but neither are truly guaranteed as each can be interpreted and used in different ways
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