Shenk describes the unlimited potential of human beings at any age, and how a seeming lack of potential at a young age is not any indication of failure in later life- for example, he describes how Charles Darwin's father told him that he had so little potential that he would be a disgrace to the family forever, or how Edison was expelled from the first grade for being mentally retarded (125). Yet Shenk also emphasizes the importance of early reinforcement and encouragement of ambition in order for children to grow up with the right ambition and work ethic to succeed; for example, he cited how foster children tended to get stuck in an "intellectual rut" as opposed to better-off kids' success, and said that this was a result of the higher level of attention that the richer kids received (47). Consider the following questions: why are so many so-called geniuses "oddballs" at a young age (127)? How do they turn out to such a high level of success if they haven't received the proper attention and encouragement? Could, then, there be something genetically special about them that makes up for it?
Vivian Wang (vivian.wang9895@gmail.com)
In order to reach greatness, a great deal of time must be spent on a subject. Shenk explains a human must spend, “not just hours and hours of deliberate practice each day...but also thousands of hours over the course of many years...truly outstanding skill in any domain is rarely achieved in less than ten thousand hours of practice over ten years’ time” (70). This supports why many geniuses are considered “oddballs” when younger. They must spend so much time on one subject, which is not usually seen at a young age. Just because society sees them as different, however, does not mean they are not nurtured and do not receive attention. Shenk quotes Csikszentmihályi, Rathunde, and Whalen saying, “‘Most students who become interested in an academic subject do so because they have met a teacher who was able to pique their interest’” (127). In their book, “Talented Teenagers: The Roots of Success and Failure”, these three men discuss the importance of supportive family and teachers. They also recognize, “Talented teens are more conservative in their sexual attitudes and aware of the possible conflict between productive work and peer relations” (http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10049.aspx). This also shows why geniuses may seem to be odd to society. Certain personality traits that keep them from forming strong relationships with peers are found mostly necessary for the development of greatness. Both Shenk and the authors of “Talented Teenagers: The Roots of Success and Failure” agree that having supportive mentors are important for talent to be developed, but also important is one’s attitude and motivation. Darwin and Einstein were rejected by people who should have been supportive mentors, but they found motivation to continue their studies and expand their ideas. Shenk recognizes that, “A person can become joyfully inspired, spiritually devoted, or deeply resentful; motivation can be selfish or vengeful, or arise out of a desperation to prove someone right or wrong; it can be conscious or unconscious” (121). Geniuses with less supportive backgrounds, like Darwin and Einstein, were still motivated like those supported by those around them, but the motivation derived from different sources. The failure they faced allowed certain traits to be expressed. The personality traits they possessed, rather than their genes, allowed them to achieve greatness. Certain traits such as creativity, intuition, openness, perceptiveness, resilience, and self-discipline have been linked to development of talent (http://personal.ashland.edu/jpiirto/Piirtopyramid.htm). Developing these strong personality traits has a much larger effect than one’s genetics.
ReplyDeleteJenna Sherman (jsherm013@aol.com)