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http://www.viacaucus.org/ChrisPetersonOpEd/tabid/160/Default.aspx

I think he makes some very good points. Check it out — and perhaps express your views in the survey:

http://www.viacaucus.org/

Kathryn

PS Timothy - I was looking for a place to post this, and your article seemed the best match.

I can’t agree with you more on the “drivenness” of being a genius. What you have said demonstrates the pathway of being a genius – “drivenness”, persistence, self-discipline and tons of hard work. If being a geniuses is a process like winning at a 100m race, my piece probably serves to build up one’s beliefs and courage to register and take part in the game, to believe that they are more than enough to perform well or even win the race, and your ideas obviously focus on how they should prepare and the attributes needed to finish the race during the event! Thanks for offering and widening perspectives on geniuses!

Best, Timothy

What a cool point suggesting a reciprocal relationship between uniqueness and self-esteem. People with high self-esteem are more comfortable with being at a deviant position. Uniqueness and self-esteem are dependent – it takes courage and confidence, which probably stems from positive feedback and recognition from parents, teachers and peers, to build up self-esteem. With a sense of self-worth, people believe that they are unique and make things done.

And what you said also reminds me of a classical experiment I’ve learnt from your Social Psych. class few years ago in CUHK, Asch’s (1956) conformity study on line judgment. I wonder if the belief of uniqueness could be used to explain why some people are daring enough to insist what they believe is true instead of following the majority who gave a wrong answer.

Thanks so much for your comment. I wish you a shining academic year teaching in CUHK!!

Best, Tim

Thanks for sharing on your research. It’s very inspiring! I can’t tell how excited I am to see relevant studies on positive leaders.

In your study, I am impressed by the possible contradictions between best student and best child, as well as your disproof of the myth of best student’s pathway à best colleges à best jobs à money à happy for life. I particularly like your example of lawyers who are best paid and also most depressed.

I think your whole piece is an incredible message to educators that they should let their students – the future productive citizens, even future leaders, know how to have a better life! Would you mind if I send around to my teacher friends?

I wonder if you’ve conducted any further research on the relationship between positive leaders and their childhood development. My main research interest (also my PhD research study which will start this Oct) is leadership in Professional Service Firms. Indeed there are many interesting questions about positive leadership in PSFs, like how to lead highly intellectual people in an environment of high stress and demand effectively; which leadership style is the best for employee well-being; why some leaders/partners can have better lead than others; and what are the core leader strengths and characters. These are all positive psychology related. Are leadership skills formed early in childhood or learnable after people started their career; and how would positive psychology shed light on better training and development on leadership? These are the exciting questions that are worth to be examined.

Would be great if we can have further discussions on these interesting topics!

Again, thanks for your research sharing and great comment!

Best, Timothy

Nicely done. Thanks.
Scott (MAPP 08)

You mentioned Snyder and Fromkin that striving for uniqueness would bring positive self-esteem. I wonder whether the reciprocal may also be important, i.e., a person with high self-esteem is more likely to pursue uniqueness. It takes courage and confidence to believe in oneself that i am doing a right, albeit dissimilar, thing. And again, as you said, it is a matter of perspective. And we just have to believe in ourselves to do the impossible but good things!

Thanks again for your insightful article!

Winton

Thank you for your inspirational article. I couldn’t agree with you more and I was fascinated to learn about some of the references you included.

Your last few questions relate to the work I am doing as a result of my positive psych research last year. Specifically, I am speaking with parents and educators to help them understand the flaws in our current approach to education and the beauty in students who are not at the top of the class (including many world/scientific/corporate leaders).

If you have an interest, there’s a self-running presentation on the web: http://www.positiveleaders.org/appreciatingbeauty/appreciatingbeauty.html [username and pw are both “bottom80″]

Thanks for raising the issue of genius in everyone!

Happy Year of the Rat,
Christine (MAPP 07)