Isn't this the reason why doctors give people with ADHD amphetamines? So that they would feel content leading their somewhat mundane lives?
Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader
21–30 of 35 posts
Re: Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader
#22The risk-taking, novelty-seeking and obsessive personality traits often found in addicts can be harnessed to make them very effective in the workplace. For many leaders, it’s not the case that they succeed in spite of their addiction; rather, the same brain wiring and chemistry that make them addicts also confer on them behavioral traits that serve them well. This is ridiculous in some ways. Yes, certain personality…
>EDIT: Since comment scores are not visible, I will note that this is being upvoted, downvoted, upvoted, downvoted. I would be curious as to what is so seemingly controversial. Any thoughts?
Show me a parent who doesn't think their kid is "gifted".
Re: Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader
#23I definitely feel that in my life. The urge to create things, to grow, to change myself, the condescendence at anyone who is satisfied with current situation. It's like someone is itching my brain, it feels very similar to craving nicotine, or caffeine, or just mind-altering substances. It's like someone is shouting at me "common, this sucks, now go do something" even when everything is seemingly awesome.
You have said in two sentences what I have struggled to express for many years.
Re: Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader
#24The risk-taking, novelty-seeking and obsessive personality traits often found in addicts can be harnessed to make them very effective in the workplace. For many leaders, it’s not the case that they succeed in spite of their addiction; rather, the same brain wiring and chemistry that make them addicts also confer on them behavioral traits that serve them well. This is ridiculous in some ways. Yes, certain personality…
>EDIT: Since comment scores are not visible, I will note that this is being upvoted, downvoted, upvoted, downvoted. I would be curious as to what is so seemingly controversial. Any thoughts? Show me a parent who doesn't think their kid is "gifted".
Upvoted. I sort of "forget" people here don't really know me. In other circles, it's perfectly okay for me to say that. I used to give a lot of advice in "gifted" circles on the internet. He's actually had some testing. I was a very minor presenter at a gifted convention thingy. A presentation there and conversation with the presenter (big name in testing circles and such) clued me. (Due to professional ethics, she could not give me a number but did remark "It will be okay because you homeschool"...in other words "My sympathies. You have quite a challenge on your hands.") ...blah blah blah.
I don't think he's "gifted". I think he's a huge pain in the butt. But I also adore him.
Thanks for the feedback.
Re: Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader
#25Rediscovering sublimation? Again? ^_^
It is said thousands years ago - control your emotions or be controlled by emotions. Freud emphasized that energy bounded to some emotions and mental states can be redirected, transformed, controlled.
General Taosist example is a river overflowed with monsoon water. It sweeps out everything when uncontrolled, but if people have built some dams and walls in advance, then all flooding waters will run into more-or-less controlled way.
So, if one can control himself why not use ones obsessions instead of being used by them?
Re: Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader
#26I definitely feel that in my life. The urge to create things, to grow, to change myself, the condescendence at anyone who is satisfied with current situation. It's like someone is itching my brain, it feels very similar to craving nicotine, or caffeine, or just mind-altering substances. It's like someone is shouting at me "common, this sucks, now go do something" even when everything is seemingly awesome.
You have said in two sentences what I have struggled to express for many years.
[deleted]
Re: Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader
#27Rediscovering sublimation? Again? ^_^ It is said thousands years ago - control your emotions or be controlled by emotions. Freud emphasized that energy bounded to some emotions and mental states can be redirected, transformed, controlled. General Taosist example is a river overflowed with monsoon water. It sweeps out everything when uncontrolled, but if people have built some dams and walls in advance, then all flood…
"Freud emphasized that energy bounded to some emotions and mental states can be redirected, transformed, controlled.
General Taosist example is a river overflowed with monsoon water."
Freud was a pseudoscientific hack, and Taoism. while a nice philosophy, is not empirical science either. You've fallen far short of any decent standard of evidence here.
Re: Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader
#28And here's Malcolm Gladwell making the argument that successful people are less likely to take risks:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/01/18/100118fa_fact_...
Reality is reality. If you take risks, you open yourself up to failures, but the potential upside might be greater as well.
Re: Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader
#29The risk-taking, novelty-seeking and obsessive personality traits often found in addicts can be harnessed to make them very effective in the workplace. For many leaders, it’s not the case that they succeed in spite of their addiction; rather, the same brain wiring and chemistry that make them addicts also confer on them behavioral traits that serve them well. This is ridiculous in some ways. Yes, certain personality…
Probably more important than "addictive" personality traits alone are social skills and/or understanding of politics and how to work people and manipulate because ultimately those are the ones who actually do get promoted; the higher up you go, the more this will ring true. In any big organization you don't just rise to the top for your work merits or being a "born leader" alone.
Re: Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
> What about all the big companies run by non-addicts (the majority) Sure, but the real question is whether "addicts" are over-represented amongst successful CEOs more than the general population.
Looks like I should explain myself: If there was no association between having an "addictive personality" and being a successful CEO, we would expect "addictives" to be CEOs just as often as non-addictives. If being an addictive helps with being a successful CEO, we'd expect a higher concentration of addictives amongst the population of successful CEOs. The grandparent is presenting a argument a much stronger straw-m…
That isn't how statistics work. If 10% of people are "addicts", and 20% of CEOs are "addicts", it's fair to say that there is correlation - despite the fact that there are still five times as many non-addict CEOs.
edit: Think this is actually the point you're trying to make, though I think you didn't quite nail it.