3 ms·

There's no doubt that many high achievers have some sorts of dysfunction as motivators; I always point to the paternal failings of the fathers of (say) Bill Cli

There's no doubt that many high achievers have some sorts of dysfunction as motivators; I always point to the paternal failings of the fathers of (say) Bill Clinton or Michael Jackson. But even granting that pattern, you'll generally find a stable presence within people's broader family, and examples from Bill Gates to Mark Zuckerberg show a much more common pattern of extremely supportive parents providing a strong foundation for success. I would love to see research about the families of a cohort of YCombinator participants, for example.

wololo 14y ago
"My hypothesis is that most children are emotionally damaged by this upbringing. But a small percentage, whose brain chemistry and wiring is set for resilience ..." This relentlessness, stress immunity, etc. -- these are "positive" characteristics of primary psychopathy. And it is associated with having a rough childhood. Maybe that's what he's referring to? On the other hand, it's such a small fraction of the population, maybe it's irrelevant?