History Main / DetrimentalDetermination

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': In the episode "[[Recap/AmericanDadS8E2Hurricane Hurricane!]]", [[Characters/AmericanDadStanSmith Stan Smith]] is determined to show his family his way is right, even though it's apparent that he's doing far more harm than good. Klaus gives Stan a RousingSpeech about Creator/NicolasCage eventually making a good movie after making so many stinkers, which compels Stan to try the same. End result, he gets his family attacked by both a shark and a bear, and impales Francine in the shoulder with a javelin (he was aiming for the bear). It's only when Buckle shows up and tranquilizes both animals that the family is finally safe.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "Applebuck Season", when Big Mac injuries himself just before the apple harvest, Applejack was left to harvest the crop on her own, with her fully intending to accomplish it. Unfortunately, due to working nonstop, she was left tired and ragged, but was determined to finish the job alone, while stubbornly refusing to listen to Twilight every time she tried to tell her she needed help. Making the situation worse was the fact was that Applejack had other obligations around Ponyville, with her exhausted state leading her to make several irration decisions that negatively impacted the other ponies. It wasn't until the end of the episode when she thought that she had harvested all the apples, only for Big Mac to point out she had only done ''half'' the orchird, that she finally broken down and conceded that Twilight was right, letting her friends help finish the harvest.

* ''WesternAnimation/JurassicWorldCampCretaceous'': After the events of season 1, Yaz has a badly sprained ankle, but for a couple of episodes insists on trying to "pull her weight", especially since Kenji is willfully lazy, despite their predicament. Consequently, she collapses from pain trying to do Kenji's share of the work, and Kenji has to help carry her back to camp.

** [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]] is defined by his obsessive goal to dethrone Superman as being the most beloved figure on Earth, unable to comprehend the idea of an alien being a benevolent hero whereas he, a self-made hard worker, is overshadowed. While his desire to one-up the Man of Steel has seen a lot of success in the supervillain community and has even accomplished a number of feats, Lex still doesn't feel like he's done and continues on with his grudge. He's gone as far as to keep a piece of Kryptonite by his side at all times, which ended up ravaging his body, resulting in him transferring himself to a clone body to keep himself alive. In the end, Lex's hatred for Superman distracts him from his desire to be a paragon for humanity, reveals his megalomaniacal side to others, and leaves him in tatters. In ''ComicBook/TheBlackRing'', Lex's vengeful goals completely make his goals all for naught as when given the opportunity to turn the universe into a paradise via being granted omnipotence, he'll sacrifice that just for a chance to hurt Superman, causing him to lose said power and be banished into the Phantom Zone.

** Because of all the abuse they endured, both [[Characters/TheOwlHouseAmityBlight Amity Blight]] and [[Characters/TheOwlHouseTheGoldenGuard Hunter]] are determined to prove themselves worthy of love and affection. Thanks to Luz, Amity starts leaving that path, but Hunter has to cope with serious trauma after he learns [[spoiler:that his "uncle" Belos is a sociopath and a genocidal maniac.]]

* "Videogame/{{Undertale}}": The genocide route is pretty much just this, because if you kill literally every monster you can find, [[spoiler:eventually you will be prompted/forced by the Fallen Human to erase the world, permanently affecting your save file]]. Killing every monster is extremely time consuming, not to mention several boss fights, especially [[ThatOneBoss the final one]], are wildly more difficult than any you encounter on Pacifist or Neutral. Not to mention, the speech given by [[spoiler: Sans]] at the end of the final battle practically calls this trope by name.