What does success mean? How can we achieve this dream? We all want success, right? So what factors contribute to being successful in your career, in your home, in your community? As stated by Alison Pearce Stevens, most of society will “ think intelligence is the reason successful people do so well.” However, studies reveal this may not be the case. These investigations dive deep into psychology and probe the human mind. Scientists like Scott Barry Kaufman and writers like Malcolm Gladwell argue that an individual’s IQ does not determine their potential for prosperity.They say that anyone can achieve success, not only those with an above average IQ. So based off studies on society, statistics, and examples of individuals, I have come to the
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One such analysis was conducted by Lewis Terman in the 1920’s. This psychologist wanted to know the relationship between intelligence and how well someone will do in their life. He selected the 1500 smartest children in California between the ages of 8 and 12. For the rest of their lives, he studied them. He tracked them. Terman watched over these children as they grew up and were no longer just children with a high IQ. Terman tracked their marriages, education, careers, family life, health, where they went on to live. Terman studied these children, and a lot of the participants went on to have a great contribution to society. But this was not a recurring theme throughout the entire experiment. After Terman’s death, psychologists took up his work. One named Melita Oden compared “the 100 most successful individuals (group "A") to the 100 least successful (group "C"). While they essentially had the exact same IQs, only a few people from group C had become professionals, most earned just slightly above the average yearly income, and they had higher rates of alcoholism and divorce than individuals from group A,” (Cherry). These less successful participants did not have a lower IQ than that of the more successful. They just had different opportunities, interests, personalities, or a hundred other factors that played into their life. There are many people who participated in …show more content…
People that have an IQ of 140 are labeled as geniuses. One example of this is Einstein, who had IQ of 160 (Stevens). But there is one man who has an IQ of 195: Chris Langan. This is almost twice the average intelligence of a normal American. So what does Chris Langan do for a living? Is he a renowned doctor? A famous philosopher? Perhaps Langan became a business executive. However, none of these professions are the one that Chris Langan occupies. This genius is a caretaker of property and animals that he owns in Missouri (Gladwell 113). He also worked as a bouncer in a bar somewhere. This genius of a man with more intelligence than celebrities modern and ancient like Steve Jobs or George Washington, is spending his life as a farmer when he could have become so much more. So maybe how much intelligence he has does not determine what he does with his life. There are also examples of people that achieved great things despite obvious flaws. J. Robert Oppenheimer is known as the “Father of the Atomic Bomb.” But did you know that he once attempted to poison his school tutor? This was on his résumé as he was applying for a position in the Manhattan Project. However, he connected with the interviewer so well that he earned the job (Gladwell 99). Malcolm Gladwell tells another story about a dyslexic man named Gary Cohn. He had struggled all
One such analysis was conducted by Lewis Terman in the 1920’s. This psychologist wanted to know the relationship between intelligence and how well someone will do in their life. He selected the 1500 smartest children in California between the ages of 8 and 12. For the rest of their lives, he studied them. He tracked them. Terman watched over these children as they grew up and were no longer just children with a high IQ. Terman tracked their marriages, education, careers, family life, health, where they went on to live. Terman studied these children, and a lot of the participants went on to have a great contribution to society. But this was not a recurring theme throughout the entire experiment. After Terman’s death, psychologists took up his work. One named Melita Oden compared “the 100 most successful individuals (group "A") to the 100 least successful (group "C"). While they essentially had the exact same IQs, only a few people from group C had become professionals, most earned just slightly above the average yearly income, and they had higher rates of alcoholism and divorce than individuals from group A,” (Cherry). These less successful participants did not have a lower IQ than that of the more successful. They just had different opportunities, interests, personalities, or a hundred other factors that played into their life. There are many people who participated in …show more content…
People that have an IQ of 140 are labeled as geniuses. One example of this is Einstein, who had IQ of 160 (Stevens). But there is one man who has an IQ of 195: Chris Langan. This is almost twice the average intelligence of a normal American. So what does Chris Langan do for a living? Is he a renowned doctor? A famous philosopher? Perhaps Langan became a business executive. However, none of these professions are the one that Chris Langan occupies. This genius is a caretaker of property and animals that he owns in Missouri (Gladwell 113). He also worked as a bouncer in a bar somewhere. This genius of a man with more intelligence than celebrities modern and ancient like Steve Jobs or George Washington, is spending his life as a farmer when he could have become so much more. So maybe how much intelligence he has does not determine what he does with his life. There are also examples of people that achieved great things despite obvious flaws. J. Robert Oppenheimer is known as the “Father of the Atomic Bomb.” But did you know that he once attempted to poison his school tutor? This was on his résumé as he was applying for a position in the Manhattan Project. However, he connected with the interviewer so well that he earned the job (Gladwell 99). Malcolm Gladwell tells another story about a dyslexic man named Gary Cohn. He had struggled all